Sofia the First: Strange Feelings
by Firelord515
Summary: Sofia has had these strange feelings for Amber that she can't explain and doesn't know how to deal with them. She's terrified of what her family will think of her but wants more than anything to tell Amber. What will she do and what will Amber think if she finds out? Read and find out. Title changed. Rating will most likely change as the story progresses.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is something that popped into me head a while ago and I've just been able to write it down now. I also wanted to see how people would react to something like this because I'm a very curious person. And since a lot of people ship Elsanna from the movie Frozen, I wondered what people would think if I wrote down a story that had to do with Amber and Sofia. And as far as I can tell, I'm the first person to be writing this. This was intended to be a one-shot, but if it goes well and people actually like it and I get a lot of reviews I might continue this story. Please let me know what you think and enjoy.**

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Chapter 1

Sofia had always know she was different from the other girls in the kingdom. When she was just a regular girl living in the village,, she always preferred the company of girls than boys. She didn't know why at first. She just choked it up as being a normal girl thing. Wanting to hang out with girls like her rather than boys that didn't understand them. But then she started noticing things about herself that were different from other girls.

Whenever her friends Jade and Ruby would talk about their futures, like marrying handsome young men, Sofia would slightly cringe. The thought of getting married to a man didn't set right with her. She always found it a little gross. But she never spoke it out loud, not wanting to ruin the moment with her friends. And even when she moved into the castle with the Royal family, She still felt the same way. Whenever her father talked about her and Amber getting married to princes, Sofia would wrinkle her nose. She was never interested in boys really and didn't like it when the subject was brought up. She really didn't know why she felt this way. She just did. But she always kept these thought to herself, for fear of being judged harshly. She would even keep these thoughts from her good friend Clover the Rabbit.

She also realized that She was starting to feel something towards her Step-sister Amber. It started on the night of her Welcoming Ball when she had accidentally put everyone to sleep. She didn't know what to do and started crying. But then Cinderella came and helped solve the problem by taking her to Amber before disappearing. After Sofia showed Amber what she did, they both went to Cedric's lair to find a counter spell. Once they did, they went to the ball room to cast the spell. But Amber didn't want to go because of her ripped gown. Sofia then sewed the gown back up and in return, Amber took Sofia by the hands and taught her how to dance. It was when their hands touched that Sofia began to feel something for Amber. The way they danced around the halls all the way to the Ballroom just felt right to her. She didn't know what these feelings were and just pushed them aside, assuming that it was just her forming a bond with Amber.

But now things have gotten a bit worse.

One day, Amber had asked Sofia to help her pick out an outfit for a ball that was coming up in a few days. Sofia happily agreed to help, a little more so than she usually was, which struck her odd but she shrugged it off. They were now currently in Amber's dressing room picking out dresses. Sofia had been waiting in the middle of the room while Amber was behind the curtains putting on her next dress. Then finally Amber came out in a beautiful night blue dress. She asked Sofia what she thought of it but was answered with silence. Sofia looked amber up and down for a moment. The dress was exquisitely beautiful on her, showing off Amber's well placed curves. Sofia couldn't look away from the lovely sight in front of her. Amber called her name again and broke Sofia's thoughts. Sofia's cheeks were burning as she realized she was staring.

"You look beautiful Amber," was all she said which pleased the blonde princess. But Amber wanted to try one more dresses so she ran back behind the curtains to pick out another dress. As Amber was changing for the fifth time that hour, Sofia was pondering on what just happened. She had been staring at her sister and was actually liking what she was seeing. Sofia's cheeks were burning again as she recalled the event that just transpired. Sofia realized she was blushing again and tried shaking her these bad thoughts away. But as she did so, she turned around and noticed that the curtains were slightly opened.

Amber had been in such a rush to try on the next dress that she forgot to close the curtains all the way. it wasn't opened very wide, but it was open enough to where Sofia could see inside. Sofia knew it was a bad idea but her curiosity was getting the better of her. She took a step forward and took a quick peak inside. What she saw made her eyes wider than dinner plates and her heart race a million miles an hour. She saw Amber just putting on the next dress she was going to were. but she was still in the middle of putting it on and she got a good look at her legs. Sofia watched on as Amber finally got her dress on and made her way towards the curtains. Realizing that Amber was coming out again, Sofia quickly backed away just in time as Amber reviled herself again.

"And what about this one?" Amber asked. Sofia really couldn't look at her, partly because she was mentally smacking herself for doing such a terrible thing. But the main reason was because she knew her face was as red as a tomato and didn't want Amber to see. Amber noticed that Sofia was acting a little weird and grew a little concerned. She slowly walked over to her step-sister and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright Sofia?" she asked. Sofia slightly jumped at the sudden contact and quickly glanced over at her sister. Amber looked at her with a concerned expression and Sofia smiled.

"I'm fine Amber," Sofia said. "I'm just not feeling well. Now let's see what dress you have on." Amber smiled and stepped back a bit to let Sofia take a good look at her, twirling around as she did so.

"So what do you think?" she asked. Sofia looked at her up and down again, studying the dress. It's true the dress looked lovely on her, but it didn't look quite as well as the last dress did.

"I think the Night blue dress looked the best on you," she said. Amber smiled even wider.

"You really think so?" Sofia nodded. "Alright then. Night blue it is." With that, Amber ran back behind the curtains, only this time the curtains were closed all the way. Sofia was tempted to try to sneak a peak again, but shook her head of the thought. She mentally cursed herself for even daring to think of doing such a thing. She even almost smacked herself for real but decided against it, not wanting to make her face redder than it already was. Soon Amber came out from behind the curtain again in her usual yellow dress and grabbed Sofia's hand, pulling her out of the room.

"Come on," she said, "Dinner is almost ready and we don't want to be late before James takes all the good stuff." If Amber decided to look back even once, she would have noticed Sofia staring at the joined hand with a red face and wide eyes. Sofia didn't know she had been staring at them until Amber decided to let go, causing her to look up and realize that they were actually in the dinning room where everyone else was seated. Sofia shook her head and cleared her thought before making her way towards her usual seat next to her mother, and in front of Amber.

Dinner was quiet enough, save for her father talking about the days events to everyone. Sofia wasn't really paying attention, mainly thinking of her own events of today. She thought of how she stared at Amber's figure in those dresses and when she was able to see Amber's legs from behind curtains. She even thought about how much she enjoyed what she saw, which scared her a little. She was in such deep thought that she almost didn't hear her mother talking to her.

"What?" she asked her mother. The Queen frowned slightly in concern.

"I said are you alright? You haven't even touched your food." Sofia looked down at her plate and realized that her mother was right. She hadn't touched her food all that much, and tonight it was her favorite food. Sofia then turned towards her mother and tried to put on a convincing smile.

"I'm fine Mom," she said and she began eating her food, a little bit too quickly. Her mother raised an eyebrow at her daughter for a moment before returning to her conversation with her husband.

Sofia ate her food at a normal pace after a few minutes and had accidentally knocked a fork off the table. She bent down to pick it up when she suddenly looked in front of her. There, she had a perfect view of Amber's ankles. Sofia couldn't help but stare at them until something happened that made her heart race for the third time today. As Sofia had been staring at her ankles, Amber had had an itch on her right leg and reached down to itch it. In doing so, she pulled her dress up until it almost reached her knees, giving Sofia a clear view of her bare leg. It was such and amazing moment that Sofia didn't notice that had picked up her fork and was now trying to sit up when she banged her head under the table. She quickly sat up on her chair and rubbed her now aching head. She then looked around her and noticed that everyone was staring at her. She chuckled nervously and held the fork that she dropped.

"Heh heh, dropped my fork," she said before she returned to eating her food, only she was eating at a faster pace. Everyone else just stared at her as she ate. Sofia tried not to look up at their staring faces as she ate because of how embarrassed she was. She finished her food before everyone else and excused herself before quickly running to her room. Once Sofia was in the safe haven of her room, she quickly shut the doors and ran straight to her bed and buried her face in her pillows. She spent a good half hour thinking about her actions today.

She had been staring inappropriately all day at her sister, her SISTER. Albeit it was her step-sister so there was no blood relation but that wasn't the point. She felt disgusted with herself. She had been staring at a family member, and it was a girl. Sofia didn't know what was going on with her. Having feeling for a girl was bad enough, but her sister? She knew she had feelings for Amber but always thought that they were just sisterly feelings. Feelings of having a close bond with someone. But all those thoughts went away after today. Sofia had come to the conclusion that she was attracted to her sister, and now that terrified her. Mainly because she was afraid of what her family might think of her, or more importantly what Amber thought of her. She couldn't bare to have Amber look at her with hate and disgust, that would destroy her. She knew she had to keep this a secret, from everyone. Nobody can know about this. Not even her close friend Clover. Her best bet was to get over these feeling of Amber and soon. Her thoughts were then shattered as she heard a knock at her door. Sofia sat up on her bed and looked at the door.

"Come in!" she called and the door opened. And sure enough, the one person her had been on her mind for most of the night was standing in the doorway. Amber walked into Sofia's room and closed the door.

"Are you alright Sofia?" she asked. "You've been acting weird all night. Though she was far from alright, Sofia put on a smile and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered. "I just haven't been feeling well lately." Amber continued to walk closer to her and sat on the bed next her. Sofia sat up straight so they that were eye level. Amber examined her face for a few moments which caused Sofia to blush under her watchful gaze and look away.

"Your face has been getting red lately," Amber said as she placed a hand on Sofia's forehead. Sofia almost stiffened at the touch but tried to relax, not wanting to offend Amber in any way. Amber kept her hand where it was for a moment before removing it, much to Sofia's disappointment.

"Well you don't have a fever," Amber said. "Maybe you just need some rest." Sofia nodded her head quickly, wanting to get out of this situation.

"Yeah," she replied while smiling nervously. "A goodnight's sleep probably do me a world of good." Amber smiled at her sister before standing up from the bed. She then stood in front of Sofia and took her hands in hers.

"Well goodnight Sofia," she said. She then leaned in and gave Sofia a small kiss on her forehead. Sofia's eye's widened at the contact and was frozen in place. She could feel her cheeks burning like fire as Amber let the kiss linger for a little while longer. Finally, Amber pulled away and smiled down at Sofia.

"Feel better." With that Amber turned and left the room, Sofia's eyes following until she disappeared behind the door. Sofia just stared at the door as she slowly reached her hand up to where Amber had kissed her. She stayed like that for at least a minute before finally leaning back and plopping down on her bed. She placed her hands on her face and let out a small groan. She then let her arms spread out across the bed as she stared up a at the canopy.

"What am I going to do?"

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed little story. Please note that I haven't exactly seen all the episodes of Sofia the first, only a few so I don't exactly know how all the characters act. But please tell me what you think, and If you guys really like this and depending on how many reviews I get, then I'll continue.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, thank you guys for your great reviews. I guess you guys want to see more of this story. I would also like to point out that Sofia is fifteen and Amber is sixteen, well so is James being Amber's twin and all. ****Well, I won't keep you waiting anymore. Let the story continue.**

Chapter 2

Sofia spent most of the night thinking of her feeling for Amber and what she was going to do about them. Her thoughts then started to drift to how these feelings started in the first place. She knew it all started when Amber was teaching Sofia to dance all those years ago. She was fifteen now, but she could still remember it as if it were yesterday. When Amber took Sofia's hands in her own, she could feel how soft Amber's hands were, even through the gloves. And when she looked into the blonde's eyes, her heart started to race.

Another moment was during the Flying Derby, when Prince Hugo had pulled a dirty trick by knocking Sofia off her her Pegasus. After that, Amber dropped Hugo like a bad habit and became Sofia's number one fan, even giving Sofia her Derby tiara. It was a heartfelt moment that Sofia would never forget. There were so many other time where Sofia and Amber had become close over the years that she kept replaying in her head until she had fallen asleep.

Her dreams were filled with happiness. She was dancing in the Ballroom with beautiful music playing. She looked around and saw the smiling faces of everyone who had come to the castle. She could even see the happy faces of her Mother, Father, and James. Only one thing was amiss. Amber wasn't with them. She also realized that she was the only one dancing in the whole room, well save for her partner. She then looked in front of her at the person she was dancing with and was shocked and surprised. It wasn't a handsome prince or any other noble she was dancing with. It was Amber, and she was looking as beautiful as she always did in the Night Blue gown. To top it all off she was smiling lovingly down at her. She had her left hand on her waist and the another hand had Sofia's left. It took a moment for the shock wear off, but once it did, Sofia was smiling brighter than the sun and was laughing to her hearts content.

They continued to dance around the Ballroom as everyone else watched them with joy. Sofia didn't care that all eyes were on her. As long as she had Amber with her she couldn't be happier. Amber twirled Sofia around as she lead the dance, which Sofia didn't complain about in the slightest. The music soon came to an end, and so did their dance, as everyone applauded. Both Sofia and Amber curtsied to one another before taking each others hands again. Sofia just stared into Amber's eyes and her heart began race a million miles a second. She continued to stare until she noticed Amber's face getting closer to hers. Amber continued to close the distance between them and Sofia could feel her breath on her cheeks. Sofia slowly closed her eyes and waited for what she hoped was to come. They a voice came.

"Sofia wake up!"

Sofia's eyes gently opened to the sound of her best friend Clover's voice. But once the blinding sun hit her eyes, she recoiled away and covered her head with her blanket, trying to get back to sleep.

"Oh no you don't," Clover said as he pulled the blanket off Sofia, much to her dismay. "Come on girl, we gotta get going. Breakfast isn't going to eat itself."

Sofia sat up on her bed and yawned as she stretched her drowsiness away.

"Good morning Clover," she said tiredly, though with a smile, before getting up from her bed and into her dressing room. "You're in such a hurry this morning."

"How can I not be?" Clover said excitingly. "They're serving carrot cake downstairs, and you just have to get me some of that." Sofia giggled at he rabbit friend as she came back into the room in her usual purple dress.

"Of course Clover," She said warmly and exited her bedroom with Clover following close behind. They wondered the hall in silent for a minute or so before Clover spoke up.

"So what were you dreaming about?" he asked. Sofia looked down at her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Clover hopped ahead of her and started jumping higher to be eye level with her.

"When I saw you this morning, you had a dreamy look on your face as you slept, like you were the happiest you could ever be. So What did you dream about?" Sofia couldn't really look Clover in the eye after hearing what he said as her cheeks fired up. Did she really have that look on her face for anyone to see? Part of her felt embarrassed.

"Umm... well," she started but Clover cut her off.

"Oh! Oh! You were dreaming about food weren't you. I bet you were. Food always makes me happy." Sofia giggled once again.

"No Clover," she said, "I wasn't dreaming about food." Clover thought for a moment before a sly grin appeared on his face and he stopped hopping.

"Oooohohoho. Then you must have been dreaming about someone special." This caused Sofia to stop in her tracks.

"S-someone special?" she asked nervously without turning around. Clover hopped on until he was in front of Sofia again and looked up at her, still keeping that sly look on his face.

"Oh yeah. The only time I see that look on a girl while she's sleeping is when she's dreaming about someone she has a crush on." Sofia's face turn red again.

"Really?" she asked while refusing to make eye contact with Clover. "Is that right?"

"Mm hmm," Clover nodded. "So who you crushing on?" Sofia's eyes widened as she waved her hands in front of her.

"N-no one," she said unconvincingly. Clover raised an eyebrow.

"I know when you're lying Sofia," he said. "Now come on, out with it. Who's the lucky prince you're crushing on?" Sofia relaxed a little and smiled down.

"Trust me Clover, I'm not crushing on any prince." She then walked passed the little rabbit and continued on down to the Dining Hall. Clover rubbed his chin for a bit before an idea came to his head. He quickly hopped to catch up with Sofia.

"I know! He's gotta be some sort of noble right? Let me see... " Clover thought for a moment. "Oh! He's a Duke Right"? Sofia giggled.

"Nope."

"Okay. Uhh... a Count!" Sofia shook her head.

"No."

"A Baron?"

"Uh-uh"

"A knight?"

"Wrong again."

"Oh come Sofia, just tell me who it is." Sofia giggled at her little rabbit again.

"Sorry Clover, but i'm not telling." The little rabbit let out a huff.

"Well can you at least give me a hint?" Sofia placed a finger to her chin as if she was thinking.

"Umm... no, sorry," she said. Clover let out a annoyed groan.

"Not cool Sofia," he complained. "Not cool." Sofia rolled her eyes as she giggled once more.

"Sorry Clover, but I really don't feel comfortable talking about it just yet." Clover let out a sigh.

"Alright," he said. "But when you do, you'll tell me right."

"You'll be the first." By the time they had finished their little conversation, they had arrived at the Dining hall, where, once again, everyone else was waiting, including the girl that haunted her dreams. Sofia shook away the thought as she walked into the room towards her seat.

"Good morning Sofia," her parents greeted. Sofia stopped and curtsied before taking her seat, Clover sitting just below her chair.

"Good morning everyone," she said with a warm smile as she took a piece of carrot cake and placed it down on the floor for Clover to eat. "How did everyone sleep?"

"Very well,thank you," Her mother said.

"Yes, very well," her father agreed.

"Great, thanks," James said with a mouth full of food, still forgetting his manners for a sixteen year old. Amber looked at her twin brother with a bit of disgust at his manners before turning to Sofia.

"I slept wonderfully," Amber said. "And what about you? Are you feeling better?" Sofia's smile widened at Amber's concern and did everything she could to keep herself from blushing.

"Very much thank you."

"What happened?" Queen Miranda asked with concern.

"Oh, Sofia wasn't feeling well last night," Amber said.

"But I'm find now," Sofia said quickly. Amber smiled.

"That you are. I told you a little rest would help."

_Though it didn't help solve all my problem, _Sofia thought to herself but nodded nonetheless.

"Yup, you were right. As always," she said happily. Amber chuckled a bit.

"Of course I am."

"So Sofia," James said after he finished with what he was eating. "You ready for the Derby race tomorrow?" Sofia suddenly got very excited when she remembered about the Derby race.

"Oh yeah," she practically squealed. "I've been looking forward to it all month. Minimus and I have been practicing everyday for it."

"And I'm sure you'll do excellent, Sofia," King Roland II said. "You and Minimus have won every race so far. It's like you too understand one another."

_You don't know the half of it, _Sofia thought, still a bit grateful that her family doesn't know that she can talk to animals, as she looked towards Amber.

"Will you be coming to watch me in the Derby tomorrow?" Amber placed her hand with a fork to her shin and looked towards the ceiling in thought.

"Oh, I don't know Sofia," she said in a low tone. "I have something really important to do tomorrow." Sofia was crushed to know that her step sister wasn't going to be there to watch her. She really wanted her to be there. She looked down at the table in disappointment.

"Oh," Sofia said sadly. "I understand. What do you need to do tomorrow?" Amber then suddenly looked at Sofia with a sly grin.

"Why, cheering for my favorite Derby racer of course!" Sofia quickly looked up at Amber as her heart soared and a wide smile grew on her face. "I mean, I am her biggest fan after all." Sofia couldn't contain herself as she stood up from her chair and ran to the other side of the table and embraced Amber in a tight hug, which Amber happily returned.

"Oh Amber!" Sofia squealed. "I'm so happy you're going to be there!"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Amber replied. Sofia held on for a moment longer before finally letting go and heading back to her seat to finish her breakfast.

"So Children," Roland said. "Are you all excited for the Royal Ball that's coming in a few days?" Sofia, James and Amber looked up at their father with wide smiles.

"I am for sure," James said standing up with a fist in the air.

"_I_ certainly am," Sofia said happily.

"Oh, I just can't wait to walk onto the dance floor looking more beautiful than everyone else," Amber said. James looked down at his sister with a raised eyebrow.

"You're so full of yourself," he said. Amber glared at her twin.

"And you're so _full _of junk," she shot back. "I mean, really. Don't you ever stop eating. It's so disgusting."

"Are you saying I'm fat?!"

"Now, now children, be nice," Roland said giving his children a stern look.

"But he started it," Amber complained while pointing at her brother.

"Nonetheless, behave yourselves." He then looked over at Sofia, who and been giggling at the whole ordeal. "Sofia, isn't time you and James left to train for the Flying Derby?" Sofia's eyes widened as she looked at the time and realized they was running late.

"That's right! James, we need to leave right away!" James looked at the clock as well and nodded.

"Right." they both stood up from their chairs and rushed towards the exit, almost stepping on Clover in the process. Sofia turned around slightly to wave everyone bye.

"Bye everyone! We'll see you after practice!"

"Have fun!" Roland and Miranda said.

"Bye Sofia! Good luck!" Amber shouted as Sofia and James left the room. As She and James headed towards the front of the castle where their couch was waiting, Sofia had a warm fuzzy feeling in her stomach. She loved it when Amber call herself Sofia's number one fan. It filled her heart with so much joy. She thought about it as they entered the couch and all the way to the race track. She almost forgot about her fears as she thought about it. Her thoughts then shifted towards the dream she had. How happy she was to be dancing with the girl of her dreams. How beautiful she looked and much she loved the smile she had on her face. She didn't notice she had been daydreaming until James broke her train of thought.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked. Sofia shook her head, coming out of her dreamlike state, and turned to her brother.

"What?"

"I asked what are you thinking about? You looked like you were in such deep thought." Sofia blushed.

"Oh," she said nervously. "I-I was just thinking about the race tomorrow. I'm just excited and nervous about it." James smiled confidently at his step-sister.

"We're gonna win tomorrow, don't you worry about that." Sofia smiled at him before looking out to the side of the couch. She crossed her arms on the side and placed her head down on them. She wasn't worried about the race tomorrow. She was nervous about doing something embarrassing in front of Amber during it. Although, those thoughts went away as she thought about how Amber would be cheering her on from the sides. It was something she had been waiting for all month. Not just the crowds cheering and applauding for her and her brother, but just Amber herself cheering for _her._ It was a selfish thought and part of her felt bad for it, but she couldn't help it. It was just something that she had wanted above everything else. It was that thought alone that made her excited for the race, and made her more determined to win.

**A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please leave a review and tell me your thought. I look forward to reading them.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter. And I also forgot to thank MickiStarlight for assisting me on a few things and Sprite Heartfilia for future ideas****. Here's another chapter for you guys.**

Chapter 3

The Flying Derby track was finally in sight now. Sofia was excited to get to practicing because it would help get her mind of of a certain blonde back at the castle. She had been thinking about her through the whole trip there. And while most of her thought were pleasant at first, they soon turned to guilt. Even after she had come to the conclusion that she was in love with Amber, part of her still felt it was wrong. But she casted those thoughts aside because there was really nothing she could do about it. Now she wanted more than anything to tell Amber her feelings, but that's were the hard part would come in. How could she tell she step-sister that she was in love with her? It wouldn't be right, in her eyes at least. But she would deal with that later. They were now approaching the Derby track.

The couch landed in front of the Derby track entrance. James and Sofia climbed out of the couch and made their way towards the changing rooms. Once changed into her purple riding clothes, Sofia rushed over to the stables to prep her Pegasus. Upon entering the stables, Sofia immediately made her way to her good friend Minimus, who smiled widely when he noticed her coming.

"Good morning Minimus," she greeted.

"Good morning Sofia. How are you this morning?" Sofia took out a brush and began grooming Minimus.

"Oh, I'm just great. I'm just in a _wonderful_ mood." She did a little twirl on the word 'wonderful' to emphasize her mood.

"That's great. What's got you in such a good mood?"

"She has a crush on someone," came a new, but very familiar voice. Sofia gasped as she turned around and saw Clover standing at few feet away from them with a raised eyebrow and that same sly grin on his face.

"Clover!" she said a little louder that she wanted. "What are doing here? How did you get here?" Clover hopped towards her and stopped at her feet.

"You almost stepped on me on your way out of the castle so I followed you out the door and hid on the back of the couch. So consider this a little bit of payback."

"Oh Sofia," Minimus said excitingly. "You have a crush on someone? Who is it? What's his name?" Sofia inwardly rolled her eyes at the fact that everyone thought it was a boy that she like as she glared down at Clover but he just ignored her.

"Don't even bother with it my friend," Clover said. "I've been trying to get it out of her all morning and she ain't budging."

"Well maybe you can tell me right?" Minimus said in he pleading voice as he smiled at her. Sofia giggle at how he looked and started petting his neck.

"Sorry Minimus," she said. "But I don't feel comfortable telling anyone about it just yet." The horse nodded his head in understanding.

"Okay, Sofia. That's fine. You can tell me whenever you're ready."

"But she's gonna tell me first," Clover said proudly. "You know Because I'm her best friend and all." Sofia just rolled her eye but kept the smile on her face.

"Yes Clover. I did promise I'd tell you first." She then climbed on top of Minumus. "Now let's get some practice in. We have a big race tomorrow." Minimus' eyes widen when she said that.

"W-w-wait! Tomorrow? The race is tomorrow? Oh nonononono I can't-I can't do that Sofia. I'm nowhere near ready for another race." Sofia smiled down at her friend ans gently stroke the back of his neck.

"Minimus," Sofia said gently. "You'll be fine. We've done this a hundred times. We've won every race so far and it was all because of you." Minimus looked back at Sofia with a smile.

"Really?" Sofia nodded confidently.

"Yes. And we will win again tomorrow. Now let's get out there and practice." Sofia then motioned for him to go forward.

"Okay, here we go," Minimus said as he took off in a full sprint, taking off as they exited the stables, almost running into James as they did so.

"Hey, wait up!" James called out as he ran inside the stables to get his own Pegasus.

* * *

Sofia and James had been racing one another for well over two hours into the day. They also worked on so many techniques they could use during the race that would help one another. They tried practicing the slingshot a few times to make sure that got it in case they needed to use it. They had a few close calls throughout the day, but they were both fine in the end, as well as their Pegasi. Minimus himself had gotten stronger over the years. He was now able to fly up the Steeple with ease and fly for mush longer. But he still had his limits. Now both James and Sofia were at the starting line, ready for one last race before the called it a day.

"You ready, Sofia?" James asked as over at her. Sofia looked over at her brother as well and nodded.

"Ready," she said. James grinned and looked straight ahead, competitive mode activated.

"Okay. Ready. Get set. GO!" They both took off at full speed as the Pegasi flapped their wings and lifted off the ground.

"Let's go Minimus," Sofia said.

"Whoa! Here we go," the little horse replied as he flapped his wings with all his might.

James was able to get ahead due to his horse having longer legs. However, as they took to the air, both he and Sofia were matching evenly in speed. They flew around the trees in the first obstacle Sofia motioned for Minimus to go faster and the little Pegasus did the best he could to catch up the James and was succeeding. Said rider looked behind him and saw Sofia gaining ground, or air as it were, fast. James motioned for his own horse to go faster. They were now going under the bridge and were about fly over the house on the track. However, James decided to look back for a split second before turning back around and almost colliding into it. Luckily he managed to pull his Pegasus up just in time to avoid crashing into it. But worked to his disadvantage as Sofia was able to fly on past him.

"Always keep you eyes ahead of you James," Sofia said, half teasing and half lectured.

James groaned in annoyance, mainly at himself, as tried to catch up to Sofia. They were now flying around each of the Pillars and James was getting closer. Sofia noticed this and flicked the reigns to motion Minimus to go faster, though the little horse was going as fast as he could. Sofia had just flown through one of the three hedge rings with James right on her tail. They flew around a few broken pillars that peeked out of the water before they drew closer to the gate. There wasn't enough room for both competitors to fit through so James had no choice but to pull back his horse, causing Sofia to gain more ground, or air. Sofia looked up at the Steeple as she pulled on Minimus' reigns to make him go up. Minimus climbed the Steeple as quickly as he could, though struggling a bit due to all the flying for the past couple hours.

"Come on, Minimus!" Sofia encouraged. "You can do it!" Said Pegasus struggled just a bit more until he finally flew through the Steeple and under the bell, which Sofia rang as she flew under it. As they descended downwards, James used it to his advantage to get closer to Sofia. Now they were both neck and neck with each other, trying to pass the other. They made the next turn as the finish line came within sight. Simultaneously, they both beckoned their horses to go faster. The finish line was just a few meters away now and they were still neck and neck with one another. However, at the last second, with one final push of his wings, Minimus was able to get one last gust of wind under his wings, winning the race for Sofia by a nose.

Sofia and James flew their Pegasi for a bit longer before landed at the entrance of the stables. James climbed off his horse and lead it to where Sofia was.

"Good racing out there, Sofia," he complimented. Sofia smiled as she climbed down off Minimus.

"Thanks," she replied. "You did great out there too."

"Thanks." With that, they both lead their Pegasi into the stables and placed them in their stalls to clean them up a bit. Sofia took a brush and Began brushing Minimus down.

"You did great out there Minimus," she complimented the little horse. Said Pegasus Looked back at Sofia with a grateful smile.

"You really think so?" he asked. Sofia giggled and nodded.

"Of course. You've really come a long way since the day we met."

"I don't know," Minimus said looking down. "Sometimes I feel like I have improved much." Sofia frowned as she went to stand in front of the little horse and brought both her hand under his chin to make him look up.

"Don't say that Minimus," she said softly. "You've done great over the years. Everyday that we ride I can see how much you improve. You've really become an amazing stallion." Minimus looked into Sofia's eyes as his heart felt so much joy as her words.

"Do you really mean that?" he asked softly. Sofia smiled widely and nodded.

"Of course she does," said clover as he appeared out of nowhere for the second time that day. "Sofia never says anything she doesn't mean." Said princess giggled at her rabbit and looked back at the little Pegasus.

"He's right. And I also have no doubt in my mind that you be even better than any of the flying horses at the race tomorrow." Minimus smiled at his dear friend.

"Thanks Sofia," he said. 'You always know what to say." Sofia giggled and hugged him around the neck.

"You're welcome Minimus."

"Hey Sofia!" yelled James from the entrance of the stables after he finished cleaning his Pegasus. "Come on, we need to get going. The couch is here."

"Coming!" Sofia called back before she looked back at Minimus. "I'll see you tomorrow for the big race."

"And I'll be here waiting." With one final hug, Sofia left the stables with Clover and went to get changed into her princess gown. After she changed she rushed towards the couch as fast as she could, not wanting to keep her brother waiting. However, as she turned a corner to where the couch was, she accidentally ran into someone, which caused them both to fall on the ground. Sofia sat up a little bit and started rubbing her head. She was about to apologies when the other person she had knocked over spoke first.

"Watch where you're going!" he shouted in a harsh tone. Sofia looked up to see that it was Prince Marcus, the new student who was one of the most popular princes at Royal Prep. He was also the prince of a large and mighty Kingdom so that earn him some brownie points with quite a few of the students. He had dark brown hair and olive green eyes. He also had a really bad attitude, at least to those who had done him wrong in his eyes. He tried to ask Sofia for her hand, but when she kindly rejected him, he took it as an insult and has been extremely rude to her since, calling her an unworthy princess because she wasn't born a Royal.

"I'm sorry," Sofia said, though part of her really wasn't, as she picked herself up off the ground. She really didn't like Marcus but still acted politely to him, to a certain degree. Marcus glared angrily at her, making Clover hide behind Sofia.

"You should be!" he hissed. "This is a brand new outfit and you just got dirt on it!"

"I said I was sorry," Sofia said as she narrowed her eyes at him and tried to contain her own anger.

"Well that isn't good enough!" Marcus shouted. "You're going to pay for this you little b-"

"Marcus!" shouted a new voice. Both Sofia and Marcus looked towards the source of the new voice and saw James standing not far away with a dangerous look on his face, and he was aiming it right at Marcus. Said prince glared daggers at the him. How dare he interrupt him. Marcus would not tolerate such insolence, but his problem right now wasn't with James but Sofia.

"Stay out of this," Marcus hissed. James ignored his threat and walked closer to the two.

"She said she was sorry "Now leave her alone."

"She got my new outfit dirty!" Marcus shouted. "She's going to pay for that."

"Bill me," James replied as he got close to Marcus' face. They both stood six feet tall so they were both at eye level, glaring at one another. "Now back off and let us be on our way."

Marcus knew that now was not the time for a fight, especially if it was two on one. He knew he could take James on anytime, but with Sofia, who had taken a few martial arts classes herself, he was outmatched. Plus he knew a brother defending his sister was dangerous enough. He could only groan as he looked back at Princess Sofia.

"This isn't over," he said before walking passed her and around the corner. Once he was gone Sofia sighed in relief, extremely glade that a confrontation didn't go down, and looked up at her brother.

"Thanks James," she said. James continued to stare at the corner where Marcus had disappeared to, just to make sure that he wouldn't come back.

"Come on Sofia," he said in a neutral tone without taking his eyes away. "Let's get out of here." Sofia nodded and quickly made her way towards the couch. James stayed where he was for a few moments longer before finally turning around towards the couch as well. Once inside the couch, the driver flicked the reigns of the Pegusi carrying the couch and they took off and flew back to the kingdom of Enchancia.

* * *

Upon arriving at the castle, Sofia immediately climbed out of the couch and ran to her room with Clover following close behind. Once she was there, she ran straight to her bed. Every time she had a run-in with Marcus, she always felt a chill go through her. Even though he hated her, he would always look at her with lust in his eyes, and not in a good way. It was as if he wanted her body. It always made her feel uncomfortable to be within the same area as him. She was very glad that her step-brother was with her most of the time he was around. It made things more bearable. But she was glad to be back at home, and as far away from him as possible. Her thoughts were broken when Clover spoke to her.

"Hey Sof," He said. "Don't let that creep get to you. He's not even worth your time." Sofia sighed before smiling at her rabbit friend.

"I know," she said as she gently patted his head. "You're right Clover."

"He's right about what?" Robin asked. Sofia and Clover looked towards the window to see Robin and Mia flying into the room and landing on Sofia's pillows while Whatnaught climbed in through the window and ran onto the bed and sat next to Clover.

"Just Marcus starting trouble again," Clover answered to red bird.

"Oh no, What happened now?" Robin asked. Sofia was about to answer when Clover continued.

"Well, she was just about to head to her couch, when all of a sudden- Boom- he knocks right into her."

"Oh dear," Mia said.

"Oh, and that's not even the worst part,' Clover continued. "The worst part is when he tried to blame her for getting his 'precious princely' suit dirty." He did a mocking prince imprestion on the words precious princely', which made Sofia giggle a bit.

"Ugh, what a jerk!" Mia said. Robin and Whatnaught both nodded in agreement.

"I know right? But then James came to the rescue and scared the little guys off with his tail between his legs." Clover thought for a moment. "You know, if humans had tails."

"Are you alright Sofia?" Robin asked. Sofia smiled at her animal friends as she nodded.

"I'm fine guys," she said kindly. "As Clover said, he's not worth my time so I'm not going to let it bother me."

"That's my girl," Clover cheered. Then another thought came to mind. "Oh by the way, what's this ball that's happening soon?" Sofia rolled her eyes but giggled nonetheless.

"I told you already Clover," she said. "This Friday's Royal Ball is my Anniversary Ball. It's almost seven years ago I was welcomed into the Royal family."

"Oh yeah," Clover said, finally remembering. Sofia smiled.

"Yeah, and I'm _really_ looking forward to it."

"Why's that?" Mia asked. Sofia was about to speak when she heard her bedroom doors open, causing all the animals to scatter. Sofia looked up at the door to see Amber in the doorway. Sofia had no words that could describe how glad she was to see her.

"Sofia?" Amber said looking around until she spotted Sofia on the bed and quickly walked over to her.

"James told me what happened. Are you alright?" She asked as reached Sofia and she leaned down to take her hands. Sofia smiled warmly at her step-sister and nodded.

"Yes. I'm fine," she answered. Amber smiled as well before letting go of Sofia's hands and standing up with her fists clenched at her sides.

"Oh, that Marcus," she said as if that very name was an insult. "I swear that boy needs to have his head smacked around a few times. I mean, he is so infuriating!" Sofia knew when Amber hated someone because she never wish harm to anyone. But it was a nice feeling knowing that Amber was looking out for her.

"It's alright Amber," Sofia said. "I'm fine." Amber let out a scoff.

"No Sofia, it's not alright." Amber practically threw her arms out in emphasis that it wasn't alright. "That monster has been so rude to you all this time, all because he can't take rejection well."

"Amber really, it's no big deal." Amber looked down at her sister and sighed.

"Oh Sofia," she said as she sat down next to Sofia and once again taking her hand, causing her heart to race and a slight blush to appear on her cheeks. Luckily Amber didn't notice. "Of course it's a big deal. To me at least." Sofia smiled inwardly and let Amber continue.

"I care about you Sofia, and it really bothers me that he treats you so badly. You say it's no big deal, but it is. I worry everyday that he might actually do something horrible. I don't want anything to happen to you." Sofia was so touched that Amber cared so much about her. Her heart was racing so fast and beating so loudly that she was afraid Amber would hear it. What she decided to do next would surely test her limit. She decided to take the chance and lean her head on Amber's left shoulder. And to her surprise, Amber didn't object, but rested her own head on her's.

"Thank you for caring so much about me Amber,"Sofia said warmly. Amber tightened her grip on both of Sofia's hand.

"It's my job to," she said before she let out a giggle, which caused Sofia to do as well. "And it's my pleasure." They both stayed in that position for what felt like forever, but was really only a few minutes, before Amber cleared her throat and stood up.

"Well, I have to go get ready for diner," she said as she made her way towards the bedroom doors. "They're serving James' favorite tonight so I better get there early before he eats it all. See you there Sofia."

"See you there," said princess replied. Amber smiled and waved to her before disappearing behind the door. Sofia remained where she was and placed her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees and stared dreamily at the doors where Amber once was, a blush still present on her face.

_Today wasn't so bad after all, _she thought to herself as she continued to stare at the doors. Little did she know that Clover, who was hiding behind one of the pillows, had watched everything that had just transpired and was now looking at Sofia suspiciously.

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. It really helps me write these chapters. I look forward to reading your reviews.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: ****Thank you guys for enjoying this story so far. ****Sorry I've been a little late with this chapter, it's been a busy week, and I had a bit of personal things going on right now so please bear with me. Here's another chapter for you. Also, I would like to say thank you to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday last week. You guys are awesome.**

Chapter 4

The rest of the day was pretty much uneventful. Everyone sat down and eat dinner, striking a conversation or two here and there. Sofia would occasionally sneak glances at Amber when she wasn't looking. But whenever Amber did catch her staring, Sofia would just play it off with a simple smile and wave, which Amber would return with a smile of her own. Luckily it only happened once and she was saved from the embarrassment of being caught staring again. The rest of dinner was eaten in silence for the most part, until her mother spoke.

"So Sofia," Miranda said. "Feeling nervous about tomorrow?" Sofia looked up from her plate at her mother.

"A little bit," she admitted. "We're going up against the Jr Knights Academy again. So it's going to be a tough race tomorrow."

"Oh, I remember them," her father said. "You won the Flying Crown the last time you raced them."

"Yeah!" James shouted excitingly. "And we're gonna do it again. We've been practicing all month for this. There's no way we can lose."

"Now James," Miranda said. "Yes, it would be great if you two won. But remember that winning isn't important. What matters most is that you have fun and trying your best while doing it."

"Yes Mom," the young prince said as he sat back down.

"Well I have full confidence that Sofia will win," Amber said, almost causing said princess to blush. "She's always worked harder than any prince I've known. She's the best Flying Derby rider in all the known Kingdoms." This time Sofia did blush as she twirled a strand of hair in one finger, flattered and happy that Amber thought so highly of her. James, on the other hand, looked over at his twin and gave her a slight glare.

"I'm on the team too, you know," he said.

"Uh-huh," Amber waved him off as she continued eating. James sat back in his chair and crossed his arms in annoyance while Sofia let out a little giggle at her step-siblings.

After everyone finished dinner, Sofia went up to her room to prepare herself for bed, which didn't take long. Once she finished, she settled straight into bed, but was feeling too excited for tomorrow's race to actually get some sleep. She was also nervous because her opponents were the Jr Knights Academy again, and this time she was sure they were ready for them this time around. She certainly hoped that today's training was going to be enough for the race. She just hoped that she wouldn't screw up during the race. Like running into one of the obstacles, or falling off her horse. All these thoughts made her even more anxious.

Then she thought of Amber and her confidence in her. That made her feel much better. Sofia thought about the shining smile and warm embrace that she would receive if she won the race. These thoughts immediately took away her nervousness and replaced it with eagerness. She was now more determined to win more than ever. Sofia continued her thoughts until her eyes drifted closed and sleep finally consumed her.

* * *

Sofia awoke that morning from a nice dream. She had won the Flying Crown again and the crowd was cheering for her and James. Sofia could even see Amber cheering in the crowd as well. She could even hear Amber cheering louder than anyone else at the Derby. All in all, it was a wonderful dream. When she woke up from her dream, Sofia rubbed the tiredness out of her eyes before remembering what day it was. She quickly climbed out of bed and almost immediately got dressed for the Derby race. She put on her special Team Jersey that she and James were suppose to wear for these kinds of event. She was so excited for it that she was actually up before Clover, who was sleeping soundly on one of Sofia's pillows. But her excitement and rushing around to get ready had woken up the little rabbit from his slumber. Said rabbit rubbed his eyes before looking at the excited princess.

"Hey Sof, it's early in the morning. What's the hurry?" Clover asked. Sofia didn't stop moving as she was putting on her other purple boot.

"Clover, it's the Flying Derby Race today," she said without looking at him. "The race before we make it to the Championships. I want to get James so we can get in a bit more practice before the race starts." Clover let out a little yawn before jumping off the bed.

"Well you better get going," he said. "The race starts at 1:00. And from the looks of it, I'd say you got about four hours left before the race." Sofia looked at the clock in her room and saw that Clover was right. It was 9:00 now and she had to be ready to race by twelve to prepare for the race. And it takes about half and hour to get to the school by flying couch. Plus she had to eat breakfast before she left so that would take up another half hour. So she only had three hours to practice. That is, if things went well. Sofia then quickly turned and left her room, grabbing her helmet on the way. Clover immediately chased after her to try to calm the girl down. Sofia was in such a rush towards the dining hall that she almost ran into a certain blonde prince.

"Whoa Sofia," Amber said after almost having been knocked over, "what's going on?"

"Sorry Amber," Sofia replied. "I just want to get going so I can get a little bit more practice in before the race." Amber smiled at her step-sister before taking her arm and leading her towards the dining hall.

"Sofia, it's nice that you want to want to win and all. I want you to win too. But there is such a thing as overworking." Sofia let out a little sigh as they continued to walk.

"I know," she said. "I just want to do you, and the school proud."

"Sofia, you've already done more than that. You've won so many races that the everyone at Royal Prep, or even our family, would be idiots to be disappointed in you. And I, myself, couldn't be more proud." Sofia looked up at the blonde and felt her cheeks turn red.

"Really?"

"Of course. And even if you loose the race, I will always be your biggest fan." Amber finished her statement by pulling Sofia into a tight hug, which Sofia gladly returned. After a moment Amber pulled away, only to re-link their arms again and continue towards the Dining Hall.

"Thanks Amber," Sofia said.

"My pleasure. Now let's get something to eat before James finishes it all." Sofia giggled.

"You know, you pick on James too much." Amber shrugged.

"I know," she said nonchalantly. "But sometimes he asks for it. I mean, who eats that much?"

"Amber," Sofia said as she giggled again.

"Oh alright," Amber gave in with a sigh, "I'll _try_ to take it easy on him."

"Thank you." They finally made it to the Dining Hall to find everyone else sitting at the table. As they entered the room, they were greeted by the castle steward, who smiled warmly down at them.

"Good morning young Princesses," Baileywick said. "Dis you girls sleep well?" Sofia and Amber nodded their head as the smiled back.

"Good morning Baileywick," Amber said. "Yes, we sleep quite well, thank you." The castle steward nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"I'm happy to hear that," he said. "Breakfast is prepared for the both of you. And I can't wait to see you're performance at the race today, Sofia."

"Thanks Baileywick," Sofia smiled before she and Amber made their way towards the table with their arms still linked. As they did so, their parents looked up at them with welcoming smiles.

"Good morning girls," Miranda greeted her children. Amber curtsied while Sofia, because she wasn't wearing a dress, did a little bow.

"Good morning Mother," said Amber.

"Morning Mom," said Sofia. With that they both took their respective seats as Miranda looked Sofia over.

"You seem ready to go," she said with a chuckle. Sofia looked down at her clothes and remembered she was dressed in her Jersey.

"Oh, I was going to get in a bit more practice this morning before the race. But Amber kinda talked me out of it by saying there is such a thing as overworking things."

"And she's right," Roland said. "Too much of a good thing can sometimes work against you?"

"I know Dad," Sofia said with a smile.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Miranda said while giving her daughter a one armed embrace.

"Don't worry so much Sofia," James added after swallowing his food. "We're gonna do great."

"We all have a lot of confidence in you both," Roland said while raising his glass on the word 'confidence' to ephasize his point. "And even if you don't win, we'll still be proud of you no matter what." Sofia smiled at everyone before looking at Amber, who gave her a little wink in a 'told-you-so' fashion before going back to her breakfast.

* * *

The time of the race had finally come. Royalty from almost every kingdom that attended Royal Prep had come to watch the event. Even people from the surrounding villages had come to watch. So many people had come to watch the race that they had to expand the bleachers by ten times, courtesy of the three good fairies and their magic. It was the most amount people to attend such an event in a long time. Before the Flying Crown Race itself, this was the most exciting part of the Flying Derby, and no one wanted to miss it. Especially if Princess Sofia was participating in it. After She had won her first Derby Championship, her reputation had spread across all the known Kingdoms. Sofia had become one of the most famous riders in all of Derby history.

Said princess was in the stables now, cleaning Minimus as James was pacing back and fourth waiting for them to be called out. Sofia noticed James' pacing and turned to face him.

"James," she said, "you're more nervous than Minimus. Everything is going to be fine."

"How do you know?" James said, clearly not letting his nervousness go unnoticed. "There's a lot more people here than there has ever been before. What if we screw up? What if we lose? Everyone will laugh at us or be upset."

"James!" Sofia shouted to get her brother's attention. "Everything is going to be fine. We've been practicing all month for this. We can do this."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," said a new voice. Both Sofia and James turned their attention towards the stable doors to see Prince Marcus standing leaning against the frame. Both Sofia and James frowned, James balling his fist as if ready to fight.

"What do you want Marcus," Sofia said. Said prince pushed himself off the frame and slowly made his way towards the two.

"Who me?" Marcus mocked. "I'm just here to wish you both luck. I hear that the competition out there is going to be rough."

"Thanks," Sofia said with narrowed eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her. "But I think we can manage."

"You sure about that?" Marcus asked before looking over at Minimus. Said Pegasus was getting a bit nervous, shifting uncomfortably under the gaze of the prince.

"Your horse looks a bit frail. Wouldn't want anything to happen to it."

"And what is that suppose to mean?"! James said aggressively. Marcus looked back at the two and raised his hands in a mock defense.

"I mean nothing by it," he said. "All I'm saying is that anything can happen out there. I would just be careful if I were you."

"We will," Sofia said. "Now if you don't mind, we have to prepare for the race. Would you please leave?" Marcus did a gentle bow.

"As you wish. I shall be on my way." With that, he turned and left the stables. Once gone, Sofia looked over at James, who still had a look of anger in his eyes and his fists balled up.

"Don't listen to him James," she said. "He just wants to get under our skin so that we aren't focused on the race." But James' features didn't change.

"But he was implying something," he said. "I just know it."

"But we can't focus on that right now. He have a race to win. And besides, he's all talk. He hasn't gone through with any of his threats." James just kept staring out the stable doors for a moment before finally letting out a sigh.

"You're right Sof," he said. He then had a look of confidence. "Let's win this thing!"

"Yeah!" They gave a little fist bump before going back to attending to their Pegasi. But little did they know that Marcus was just outside the stable doors and just just heard Sofia's little comment about him. He was very angry right at that moment and wanted to prove her wrong. He had an had a plan to sabotage the race so that Sofia and James would lose and come out badly hurt. But he didn't know how to how to set it in motion. His answer, however, came in the sound of Pegasus' neigh. He looked up to see a Jr. Knight flying over the stables and landing a few yards away next to another Jr. Knight. The one that was getting off his flying horse was Squire Antony, who had Short black hair and stood a couple inches taller than the other squire, who was Squire John. Said squire had Short curly Blonde hair with green eyes and wasn't as built as Squire Antony. He noticed that these were the two other riders that were going up against Sofia and James in the race. Marcus smiled wickedly as an idea began to form in his head. He made his way over to the two squires.

"Good evening Gentlemen," he said pleasantly. The two squires looked over at the Prince approaching them and glared at him. Ever since the Jr. Knights Academy lost the Flying Crown Championship to Royal Prep, the squires of the JKA have had it in for the Royals.

"What do you want?" Squire Antony said in a harsh tone. Marcus just raised one hand in a gesture to show that he meant no harm.

"No need to be hostile my friends," Marcuse continued with a smile. He then took a bow, although bowing to the lesser sickened him. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Prince Marcus of the Kingdom of Lothacia. I just came to make a proposition for you." Both Antony and John looked at one another with raised eyebrows. There wasn't a knight alive that didn't know Lothacia. It was a Large and rich kingdom. What could the prince want with them? They both thought for a moment before turning back to Prince Marcus.

"What kind of proposition?" Antony asked. Marcus gave a wicked grin.

"One that is surely to guarantee that you win the race and a place in the Major Flying Derby League."

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" the announcer shouted into his cone. "Kings and Queens! Princes and Princesses! Knights and Dames! Villagers of all ages! The moment you've all been waiting for is here! The Flying Derby race that will Determine which team will go to the Major Flying Derby League Championships!" The crowd cheered loudly as they waited for the announcer to continue.

"As you all well know, this the race that will determine which team will go to the Major Flying Derby Championships! Should one of the teams win, it will be the first time in Flying Derby history for the Little League Derby racers to enter the Major League Derby, where they will compete with the World's top Derby Flyers!" The crowd cheered even louder, one in particular that was sitting in the Royal Balcony shouted with all her might.

"Yeah Sofia!" Amber shouted.

"And here come the riders from the Jr. Knights Academy!" the announcer continued. "Squire Antony and Squire John!" The crowd cheered again as the two named riders. But they didn't enter just yet. They were just at the entrance where Both Squires Antony and John were on their Pegasi, and Prince Marcus right next to them.

"Now remember," Marcus said to Antony, "make it look like an accident so you don't get disqualified, but get it done nonetheless. Do so, and all the gold will be yours." Antony nodded.

"Got it," he said. With that, the two Squires entered the track as the crowd cheered louder and proceeded towards starting line.

"Yes it is going to be tough to beat these two." Squire Antony looked towards the crowd and spotted a group of attractive looking girls that were cheering for him close by. He gave them a wink and, one by one, each girl swooned.

"And now, Let's meet their opponents! Flying for Royal Prep, Princess Sofia and Prince James!" The crowd shouted and cheered louder and wilder than before as the two named Royals entered the track as well. They both waved at the crowd as they made their way towards the starting line. As Sofia waved, she saw all her friend from Royal Prep. She saw Vivian, Zandar, Hugo, Jin, Jun, Desmond, Khalid, Maya, Clio, and Hildagard, all cheering for her and James.

Sofia then looked up towards the Royal Balcony and saw a certain Blonde shouting and waving down at her. She could hear Amber cheering as loud as she could over the crowd. Sofia smiled warmly and waved up at her before looking back ahead and continued towards the starting line where the other racers were waiting. Sofia looked over at their competitors and gave them a gentle smile.

"Let's have a good race okay?" She said. Antony, who was closet to her, just scoffed.

"It will be once we win," he said in a harsh tone, causing Sofia's smile to fall a bit.

"Rider!" Miss Flora shouted. "On your wings!" All the racers sat ready to go.

"Get Set!"

"Let's do our best Minimus," Sofia whispered to her Pegasus friend.

"Okay," Minimus replied, thought not too confidently.

"GO!" The gates quickly opened and the riders took off at full speed.

"And they're off!" The announcer shouted. "Right out of the gates, Squire Antony of the Jr. Knights takes the lead, with Princess Sofia right on his tail." And it was true, Squire Antony was in the lead, but Sofia closing in behind him. Antony seemed to notice this as he flicked the reigns of his Pegasus to make it go faster as they headed for the bridge. Sofia pushes to get ahead but Antony isn't letting her. Every time she tries to pass him he immediately blocks her path, sometimes getting too close for comfort. They flew under the bridge with Sofia still behind Antony. As Sofia was trying to get past Antony, James was having his own problems with John.

"Whoa!" the announcer shouted. "It looks like Prince James and Squire John are going head to head!"

Neither James nor John was moving ahead of one another as they had their Pegasi, almost literally, bumping against one another. James tried to get ahead in order to help Sofia get past Antony, but John seemed to have other plans as he kept getting in his way. This continued until they, themselves, flew under the bridge, with James going under on the far right side. This had allowed him to break away from John and finally flying ahead.

"And Prince James manages to get away from Squire John and is now doing all he can to make his way towards Princess Sofia and Squire Antony." The crowd cheered loudly as they heard the announcer explain what was happening.

Sofia and Antony were now flying over the cottage on the track as James was trying his best to catch up. She was struggling to get past Antony as he kept blocking her path. She then noticed James behind her and an idea formed in her head. Without looking back, Sofia quickly let go of the reigns and moved her hand out to the right in clear view of James. James noticed the movement and looked over at Sofia to see her hands making a butterfly flapping gesture, a signal she came up with to give her a Wing Blast. James smiled and pulled the reigns back so that his Pegasus could flap harder to push more air at Sofia. Thanks to the training that He and Sofia had been doing for the past month, James was able to send a powerful blast of air towards Sofia.

At the last moment, as the blast of air sent her flying ahead, Sofia was able to turn Minimus away so she would be able to fly straight past Antony, who didn't seem too happy that she had past him. Now Sofia was in the lead as they flew through the Hedge Ring tree.

"And now, thanks to James with an extraordinary Wing Blast, Sofia is now in the lead!" The crowd was going wild as they witness the event, especially Amber.

"Go Sofia!" Amber shouted. But as the crowd cheered, right under the track entrance, Marcus stood and watched on with his arms crossed and a wicked grin formed on his face. It was almost time for his plan to commence. Soon the little annoyance that was Sofia would be gone.

The riders had just flown past the pillars in the pond and were now heading for the gate before the Steeple. Antony was right behind Sofia, with James behind him, and John behind James. The prince was making sure that John would get past him to help Antony in any way. Sofia and said Squire had just flown through the gate and were now climbing up the Steeple, with Antony getting closer to Sofia. Sofia noticed this and urged Minimus forward.

"Let's do this, Minimus," Sofia encouraged as she flicked the reigns.

"Here we go," the little Pegasus said. Marcus watched as the riders climbed up the Steeple and his smile grew wider as he waited for what was to come. He just hoped that Antony wouldn't screw this up for him.

Sofia and Antony were climbing the Steeple, nearly neck and neck as they climbed to the top. But there was only enough room for one to pass through, so Antony was forced to pull back and let Sofia take the lead. Sofia was then able to fly through the top of the Steeple and ring the bell. She heard a second bell ring second behind her and knew Antony was right behind her. However, something happened then that made things take a turn for the worst. Antony, with one big push of his Pegasus' wings, he pushed himself forward and rammed Sofia from behind, knocking her off her horse.

Sofia didn't realize what had happened until she felt nothing beneath her and the wind blowing up her face. She looked down and realized that she wasn't flying down on Minimus' back, but actually falling towards the ground. Suddenly realizing that she was about to die, she let out a horrible scream.

"Oh No!" the announcer shouted. "Squire Antony has knocked Sofia off her horse and is now plummeting towards the earth! I can't bear to watch!"

The crowd gasped as they witnessed Sofia free falling towards the ground and her Pegasus descending out of control as well, except for Marcus, who now had a smile with pure glee as he watched Sofia fall. The Royal family actually cried out in fear for her, even James as he exited the Steeple and watched his sister falling, but none cried out louder than Amber herself.

"SOFIA!" she called out.

"YES!" Marcus shouted.

Sofia screamed all the way down. She knew that James wouldn't be able to save her, and she feared that Minimus was hurt because of Antony and wouldn't be able to make it to her. Knowing that there was nothing she could do, she closed her and waited her her imminent death. She waited as the wind on her face continued to rush past her, when suddenly she felt something underneath her. At first she thought it was the ground itself, but then realized that the wind was still rushing past her, but it was now coming from a different direction. She opened her eyes to see that it was Minimus underneath her. She almost couldn't believe it.

At the last second before she hit the ground, Minimus straightened himself out and rushed to make it to Sofia. He flapped his wings as fast as he could, trying to reach her. He feared he might be too late to save her. But he then remembered all the times he shared with her, all the encouragement she gave him and the confidence she had in him. He then told himself that he was not going to lose her and pushed himself harder than ever before. With one final push of his wings, we was able to save his dearest friend. Sofia looked at the little Pegasus for a moment before she placed her head on his neck and cried tears of joy.

"Sofia's horse has managed to save the Princess!" the announcer shouted with glee. "Oh what a tremendous display. I have never seen anything like that in all my life!"

The crowd was in an uproar after seeing that Sofia was safe from harm. Miranda and Roland held each other and the queen had tear roll down her cheeks. Amber, however, had her hands clasped together in front of her face as she let out sobs of happiness that Sofia was safe. Tears were rolling down her face like waterfalls, both from happiness and still in shock of almost loosing someone so dear to her. Seeing Sofia safely back on her horse made Amber's heart soar.

"YES!" she cried out.

"NO!" Marcus shouted as well. He was beyond furious at those good-for-nothing Squires who had failed him. Marcus was in such a rage that he left the Derby track before the race was over, promising himself that he would deal with those fools at a later time.

Minimus continued to flap his wings as Sofia cried on his neck. He flapped on as a new emotion surged through his heart, an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time, but not nearly this strong: Anger. After almost loosing Sofia to that selfish squire made his heart burn with rage that he wanted to win the race just so that he wouldn't get way with it. Minimus flapped his wings harder than her ever had before and was now right next to Antony. Said Squire looked over to his right and was shocked to see Sofia, who was hugging her Pegasus' neck crying. He would have just laughed at her and called her pathetic until he saw the Pegasus itself, who seemed to be giving him a look of pure anger. It was enough to distract Antony long enough for Minimus to pass him and take the lead. Antony shook his head and urged his horse forward.

"Princess Sofia and Squire Antony are now neck and neck as they approach the finish line, Ladies and Gentlemen! Both struggling to take the lead! Who will win this race folks?! Who will make it to the Major Flying Derby League?!"

Sofia had finally stopped crying and lifted her head to see that they were nearing the finish line. She looked over to see Squire Antony right next to her, urging his horse onward. She then looked down at Minimus, who had a look of determination on his face and in his eyes. She smiled down at him before she, herself and a look of determination. She grabbed onto Minimus' reigns and flicked them for Minimus to go faster. Minimus, who was happy that Sofia was alright and ready to continue the race, happily Sofia and Antony were just yards away from the finish line as the crowd roared with excitement. And just as they were about to cross the finish line, Minimus gave one final push with his wings at the very last second, winning the race by a nose.

"And they've done it!" the announcer shouted with excitement. "Boom! Boom! Royal Prep Wins! Royal Prep Wins! Royal Prep Wins!"

The crowd roared louder than ever before. This had been one of the most exciting races anyone has ever seen. No one could have predicted these kinds of events to happen at a race. A princess nearly fallen to her death, only to be rescued by her Pegasus, and still win the race. It was the event of a lifetime, and there was still the Major League Flying Derby coming up. Sofia's family were overjoyed that Sofia was safe and had one the race. Miranda and Roland had seen the display that Sofia's flying horse had done and wanted to give it a permanent place at the castle for Sofia. Amber couldn't contain herself as she practically bolted out of the Royal Balcony and down towards the track just as the music for the Royal Prep Cheer began to play and the people began to cheer.

_Huzzah! Huzzah!_  
_RPA!_

_Huzzah! huzzah!_  
_For Royal Prep, for the red, green and blue_  
_We're all for one, and one for all_  
_At RPA, you'll hear our royal call_

_Huzzah! Huzzah!_  
_For Royal Prep, yes we're loyal through and through_  
_We rule on the field And off it too _  
_That's for Royal Prep to our Team we're true_

Sofia had landed inside the winner circle with James following right behind her. As soon as he landed, James immediately climbed off his horse and ran towards where Sofia was.

"Sofia! Are you alright?" he asked. Sofia smiled and climbed off Minimus as well.

"I'm fine James," she said as she looked back at Minimus with a heartfelt smile. "All thanks to Minimus." The crowd continued the cheer.

_Sofia and James royal through and through_  
_Huzzah! Huzzah!_  
_For red, green and blue_  
_That Royal Prep to our Team we're true_

_Huzzah!_

Just as the Royal Prep Cheer ended, Sofia just notice a certain blonde running as fast as she could towards her before she was enveloped in a tight embrace. Amber held on to Sofia as if she would loose her forever if she were to let her go. Sofia was shocked by the sudden action but didn't resist in the slightest. She returned the embrace before feeling something wet on her shoulder and hearing a small whimper. Sofia soon realized that Amber was crying, crying because something bad almost happened. The memory of nearly falling to her death brought tears to her own eyes as she gently rubbed Amber's back. The gesture seemed to calm Amber down a bit but also made Amber hold on tighter. They stayed like this for what felt like forever, not caring that people might be watching. Sofia then felt a few more arms around her and opened her eyes to find that her Mother, Father, James and Baileywick had joined in of the hug. After a few moment, everyone decided to let go, all except Amber that is as she held onto Sofia's arm.

"Are you alright Sofia," Miranda asked. Sofia nodded.

"I'm fine Mom," she answered.

"Are you sure," Roland said. Sofia smiled at her parents concern.

"Yes Dad. I'm perfectly fine. All thanks to Minimus." King Roland looked at the little horse before making his way over to him. Minimus was a little nervous being in the presence of the King of Enchancia, but stood right where he was. Roland stood in front of Minimus for a moment before taking the little Pegasus' head and petting his nose.

"You saved my daughter's life," Roland said gently. "I don't know how I could ever repay you."

Minimus looked into the King's eyes and saw how genuine he was being before leaned in to Roland's touch. The King took this as a sign the the little horse understood him and that he was very welcome. Roland smiled at Minimus before turning around slightly to look at Baileywick.

"Baileywick," he said. The steward stood at attention.

"Yes your Majesty?"

"See to it that this noble steed is given a permanent place at the castle. I want him well taken care of for the rest of his life."

"Yes your Majesty," Baileywick bowed and left to complete the task. Sofia had heard what her father had said and ran over to hug him. Roland returned the hug as the rest of the Royal family came over for another group hug, this time including Minimus in it. Everyone at the Derby track was filled with so much joy and excitement that no had even noticed that both Squire Antony and John had flown away.

* * *

It had been an hour since both Antony and John had left the Derby track and were now on a path in the middle of the woods that lead to the Jr. Knights Academy. Their Pegasi had gotten tired from flying so much that day that Antony and John had to bring them to the ground to rest. It was still another two hours before the made it to the Academy so they took their time. But they still wanted to get there before dark, and before anyone else found them. It would only be a matter of time before Sofia would tell everyone what Antony had tried to do and would be out looking for them. And what made matters worse, they knew they weren't getting their gold.

"Stupid Princess," Antony said with hate in his tone. "Stupid horse. If only it had let her fall. Then we'd be in the Major Flying Derby League."

"And we'd get our gold too," John added in, causing Antony let out a scoff.

"Don't remind me. Let's just get back to the Academy before it get's dark." They continued on the trail for about half an hour longer. They were starting to get impatient waiting for their Pegasi to regain their strength before they could take off again. The suddenly, Antony spotted something up ahead. As they drew close, he could see that it was a group of ten men dressed in dark blue armor, all armed with either pikes or swords, standing in the middle of the road. Antony and John stopped just a few yards away from the group of men.

"Stand aside," Antony said. "We are on our way to the Jr. Knights Academy. And you are in our way."

"Oh, I don't think you be making it to the Academy," came a familiar voice. Antony and John looked at the group of me as they parted ways to reveal Marcus standing behind them. The two Squires were surprised to find Marcus Here in the middle of nowhere. Antony was the first to speak.

"What are you doing here," he asked. Marcus glared at the Squires before him.

"You both failed me," he said. "And I don't take to kindly to failure. So I don't think you'll be making it to your precious Academy." Antony and John glared down at the Prince.

"And what do you mean by that?" Antony said. "You think you and your rabble of men are a match for two Squires of the Jr. Knights Academy?"

"Well,I am an excellent sword fighter, if I do say so myself." Prince Marcus said with a shrug as he raised his right hand up and pressed his middle finger and thumb together. "But I don't think I'll waist the effort."

_Snap!_

The moment after Marcus snapped his fingers, two arrow shot out of the woods and impaled each of the two Squires, causing them to fall off their horses. Both Antony and John screamed in pain as they fell from their horses with loud thuds. The sudden action caused the two Pegasi to panic and fly away, now that they had lighter loads. Antony tried to stand up from the ground when he saw a black boot in front of him. He looked up to see Marcus standing over him, with a look completely devoid of emotion.

"Kill them," Marcus said plainly before turning around and walking away. "And make it look like a robbery." The last thing he could hear was the blood filled screams of the two Squires before the forest went silent and a small, satisfied smile appeared on Marcus' face.

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it took so long, a few things in my life are a bit hectic right now so please bear with me. I will try to update as much as I can. Please leave a review and tell me what your thoughts are.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks again you guys for your great reviews. And sorry again for the long wait, was getting ready for Christmas you know. But here you guys go. A late Christmas gift for you all. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. And I also hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

Chapter 5

It was close to sundown and the Royal family of Enchancia were now on their way back to the castle in their flying couch. King Roland and Queen Miranda occupied the front seats of the coach while their three children sat on the other side. James sat on the left side and Amber sat in the middle while Sofia, who had fallen asleep during the ride home and was now resting her head on Amber's right shoulder, sat on the right side. Amber didn't abject to Sofia resting her head on her shoulder though. Sofia had had a rough day and deserved some rest. All day she had been swarmed with adoring fans after she had won the race. Many came to ask if she was alright from her fall, and every time she told them she was fine. Amber, who had been at her side all day, could tell that she was getting a bit annoyed by the constant questioning.

However, when their friends from Royal Prep came up to her, Sofia was a bit more glad to let them know she was alright, them being her best friends at the school. Vivian had shown the most concern out of all of them though. When she had embraced Sofia in a tight embrace, she didn't let go for a while. And for some reason inside her, Amber didn't like it very much. She had no idea why or where this feeling came from. But she didn't dwell on it for very long as she shook the feeling away , just chalking it up as nothing more than concern for Sofia after what happened, or tried to at least.

The day went on with everyone celebrating Sofia and James' victory, more so for Sofia because she was the first princess to every be apart of the Major Flying Derby League. They three Fairies had a festival prepared for whichever team one the Derby race, and if they were to be honest, they were glad it was Sofia and James. There were all kinds of games as well as food, much to James' enjoyment. The group of princes and princesses stayed together to enjoy the festival with the Winning team. And so far, everyone was, except for Amber to an extent.

Sure she was having a lot of fun with everyone, but the feelings that Amber had stayed as Vivian continued to be at Sofia's side, pulling her to every stand that they could see. Amber just couldn't shake this feeling inside of her. And even though she was also at Sofia's side, mainly because their arms were still linked, she wanted Sofia all to herself. But part of her felt bad about it because Vivian was her friend too and care much for Sofia. Plus, how could she possibly explain why she wanted that when she didn't even know the reason herself? Plus she felt like a third wheel to them. She was about to go hang out with Cleo, Hildagard, James and Zandar at 'Dunk the Jester', but when she was about to unlink her arm from Sofia's, she felt a tug pull her back. Amber look back, thinking that it was Vivian was pulling them to another stand. But what Amber saw was Sofia her self, giving her little puppy eyes, as if asking her to stay. Amber couldn't resist those eyes, really no one could, as she smiled down warmly at her and relinked their arms once more, much to Sofia's delight.

Then finally, Vivian was called over by Desmond, Jin and Jun to play another, leaving Sofia and Amber alone together. Sofia had no problem with being alone with Amber, in fact she was kinda looking forward to it a bit. Amber felt the same way, She was happy to finally have Sofia to herself. But the only problem now was: What now? Her answer was given when Sofia pulled on her arm and lead her to a stand where the player had to hit the center of three targets with three darts. Sofia wanted to try it because she was the biggest and cutest little stuffed bear she had ever seen and wanted to win it for Amber. She told the man running the stand that she wanted to try and he gave her three darts. Sofia took two of the darts in her left hand and aimed the third with her right. She focus really hard on her target and, once ready, threw the dart. However, she didn't hit the center. Sofia pouted a bit before trying again with the second target, then the third. Each time she didn't hit the center, which meant that she couldn't win the stuff bear but won a little frog instead. Sofia's face fell in a sad frown, causing Amber to frown as well. She didn't like seeing her sad like this. Then her face lit up as an idea began to form in her head.

Amber walked up to the man and asked for three darts. Sofia didn't know what Amber was doing but stayed silent. The man gave Amber her darts and stepped back to let the princess shoot. Amber took one of the darts and focused on her target, much like Sofia did. Feeling ready, Amber then threw her dart and it hit the center. Sofia's eyes widened as Amber took another dart, threw it, and once again hit the center. Amber took the last dart and, just to show off to Sofia, looked over at her as just before throwing the dart. Once again, it hit the center. Sofia's mouth hung open as Amber received the stuffed bear that Sofia had been eyeing before, thinking she wanted it for herself, from the man running the stand, who was impressed at Amber's performance. Amber took the bear and held it in front of Sofia.

Once she realized what Amber was doing, Sofia squealed with delight as she took the bear and held it tight. She had originally wanted to win the bear for Amber, but her winning a prize for her was so much better. Sofia was so happy at that moment that she did something very bold. She leaned up and kissed Amber on the cheek, causing Amber's eyes to widen in shock as she started to blush. Realizing what she had done, Sofia's face went completely red as she retreated away, hiding her face behind her stuffed bear and quietly apologized for it. Amber, coming out of her shock but was still blushing, looked at Sofia and couldn't help but giggle at how cute Sofia looked. Sofia peaked over the head of her bear at her step-sister's giggles, making her look even cuter. Amber covered her mouth as she giggled even more. Sofia finally revealed herself and pouted at Amber laughing at her, blushing even more so. After Amber's giggling settled down, she looked at Sofia.

"You're too cute Sofia," she said. Sofia averted her eyes as she hid her face behind the stuff bear again. Amber giggled once more before linking her arm with Sofia's and leading her to the next game. This continued throughout the day, either Sofia would drag Amber to a game or it would be Amber. At one point, Sofia had taken hold of Amber's hand as she pulled her across the festival, soon forgetting that they were even holding hands. It was only when Sofia wanted to play a game that she let go.

They soon met up with the others and Sofia showed them all the huge stuffed bear that Amber won for her at a game of darts. Everyone asked how Amber won and she answered that she use to play darts with James a while back. Everyone looked at James for confirmation and he nodded his head. Everyone was was impressed that Amber was good enough to win such a large bear, and that it was very kind of her to do something like that for Sofia. The group traveled together around the rest of the festival, sometimes playing the same games twice, until it was time to say goodbye to everyone and leave.

And so here they were now, flying in the royal coach all the way back to Enchancia with Sofia resting her head on Amber's shoulder with the giant stuffed bear on her lap. Every now and then Amber would look down at Sofia and find herself admiring the peaceful look on her sleeping face. She looked over at her brother to find that he had fallen asleep as well. She then looked at her parent, who were in the middle of a conversation about something she really didn't care about, before she, herself, rested her head on Sofia's.

However, without her knowing it, the little movement was enough to was the sleeping princess from her slumber. Sofia fluttered her eyes open, only to realize that she was on the couch heading back to Enchancia, and she was resting her head on Amber's shoulder. On top of that, Amber was resting her own head on hers. But Sofia didn't move. Instead, she smiled and shut her eyes once more, enjoying the closeness she was having with the girl she loved.

* * *

They had finally arrived back at they castle. The Coachman parked the coach in the courtyard for the Royal family to exit. The King and Queen were about to exit when Miranda noticed her children sleeping soundly in the coach. The sight of her children sleeping together, especially with Sofia cuddling with her bear and her head on Amber's shoulder, was enough to make the Queen's heart to melt as it reminded her of when they were little children. She so wanted to let her children sleep, knowing that they all had a very eventful day. But they couldn't sleep in the coach, and it was still too early for anyone to be going to bed. So she reached over and gently shook her children awake.

"Children,' she said gently, "It's time to wake up." Amber slowly opened her eyes at the sound of her mother's voice. She lifted her head and gently rubbed her eyes as she let out a yawn.

"Yes mother?" Amber asked. Miranda smiled.

"It's time to wake up dear," she said. "We still have dinner to eat." Amber nodded as she looked over at her twin then down at Sofia on her shoulder.

"I'll wake them up. You and Dad go on inside." Miranda nodded and exited the coach and climbed the stairs to where her husband was waiting for her. Once her mother left, amber looked over at her brother.

"James," she said quietly but got no response. She then grabbed his shoulder and shook him gently as she called to him again, this time a bit louder. "James!" Still no response. Amber frowned and this time punched his shoulder. That finally woke him up.

"Huh? What?" James said before looking at his twin with a frown as he rubbed his shoulder. "What'd you do that for."

"You wouldn't wake up," she replied. "Now go inside and get ready for dinner. I still need to wake Sofia." James glared at her ordering him around but remained silent as he exited the coach and made his way into the castle. Once he was gone, Amber looked down at Sofia, who was still asleep on her shoulder. She was about to wake her up but stooped herself as she looked at Sofia's peaceful face. Amber smiled down at her as she raised her hand to wipe away a few strands of hair that were on her face. The action seemed to please Sofia when a small smile traced her lips as she cuddled a bit closer to Amber. Amber's smiled widened as she let out a tiny giggle. She would've let Sofia sleep a little longer but she didn't want to be stuck on the coach for a while. Amber gently shook her shoulder to wake Sofia up.

"Sofia," she said gently. Sofia shifted a little bit before slowly opening her eyes. "It's time to wake up." Sofia shut her eyes once more and snuggled closer.

"But I don't want to," she replied. Amber chuckled a little.

"Come on," she said. "Dinner's almost ready and I'm sure you want to get out of these dirty clothes." Sofia opened one eye and moved her bear slightly to look down at her clothes. They weren't that dirty in her opinion, but she knew Amber make a bit of fuss over it. So she decided to give in as she sat up while rubbing the tiredness out of her eyes. She stretched her limbs for a moment before standing up from her seat. But as she stood up, her head started spinning and she almost fell, if not for a pair of arms warping around her. Sofia looked up to see a concerned Amber looking down at her.

"Are you alright," Amber asked. Sofia smiled up at her as she nodded.

"I'm fine," she answered. "I just haven't really had anything to eat all day."

"You haven't?" Amber asked a little shocked. "But what about breakfast this morning?" Sofia blushed as she averted her eyes.

"I was kinda nervous and only ate small bites," she admitted. Amber rolled her eyes as she lifted Sofia up and, once again, took hold of her arm.

"Come along," Amber said, "I'll walk you to your room." Sofia quickly looked back at Amber with a bit of shock as a blush began to form on her face.

"Oh!" she said. "You don't have to do that. I don't want to be a bother."

"Nonsense," Amber said as she gave Sofia a smile, "It's no bother at all. You've had a very eventful day today. You should take it easy for while and let me help you." Sofia blushed even more as she nodded and let Amber walk her out of the couch and up the stairs to the castle, but not without grabbing her teddy bear from the couch. As they walked through the castle towards Sofia's room, Sofia had been thinking about how much Amber had been around her since she won the Derby race. Of course she didn't mind it in the slightest, but part of her wondered why. She then realized that it must have had something to do with her nearly falling to her death. Sofia smiled to herself upon realizing that that must be the case.

_I should probably fall to my death more often, _she thought jokingly to herself.

They walked past many servants as they made their way to Sofia's room, some bowing in respect, some complemented on the teddy bear Sofia carried, and others asked if there was anything that they required before dinner before Amber sent them away. After a few minutes of walking through the castle, they finally reached Sofia's room, where Amber opened the doors and walked Sofia to her bed. Even though Sofia was perfectly fine, she didn't object to it. Once Amber placed Sofia on the bed, where Sofia then placed her teddy bear by her pillows, she turned and made her way towards the closet, which caused Sofia to raise an eyebrow.

"Amber?" she asked. "What are you doing?" Amber had just reached the closet before turning her head to look back at her.

"Just picking out a dress for you for dinner," she answered before disappearing behind the door. Sofia raised bother her eyebrows for a moment before shaking her head with a smile on her face.

"Amber," she said with a giggle, "I'm not that helpless. You don't have to do that."

"I know!" Amber called from within the closet. "But Baileywick is preparing a special dinner for you after you won the Flying Derby. So we'll need you to look extra special tonight." As she finished her sentence, Amber emerged from the closet with one of Sofia's more special dresses and walked over to Sofia with the dress in her hands.

"This is the one," she said with a wide smile before handing it to Sofia. "Quickly, put it on." Sofia looked down at the dress, as if she was uncomfortable with it.

"But Amber," she said. "I've never worn this before. I'm not sure it will fit me."

"Which is why you should wear it now," Amber replied with a wide grin. "Now put it on. I want to see how you look in it." Giving a little sigh, Sofia smiled at Amber before taking the dress and walking over to a screen where she could change. Sofia took off her Derby clothes and proceeded to put on the dress. All the while, Amber waited patiently for Sofia, excited to see her in her new dress. Amber knew that Sofia had never put on the dress before and was excited to see how beautiful her step-sister looked in it.

Finally, after about a minute or two, Sofia emerged from behind the screen, wearing the dress. Once she did, Amber couldn't help but gasp as she brought her hands to her mouth. The dress had a pinkish purple color to it and had glitter all around it to give it that sparkling glow. The sleeves were a bit puffy and stopped at the elbows and had a see-through fabric that made up the rest of the sleeves, giving a enchanting look to her arms. The collar of the dress wrapped around her shoulders and stop just above the Sofia's chest, giving it an almost-modest look. Amber couldn't help but stare at Sofia as she saw how beautiful Sofia looked. Sofia blushed under the stare and averted her gaze as she brought her hands together nervously.

"How do I look?" she asked quietly. Amber just continued to stare at her before slowly walking over to her. Once she was within a few feet of her, Amber finally spoke.

"You look beautiful Sofia," Amber said gently. Sofia blushed even further as she dared to look up at Amber.

"Really?" she asked. Amber looked into Sofia's eyes with a small, but loving smile.

"That dress couldn't look better on anyone else." Sofia was sure that her face was as red as a tomato by now as she smiled back. It filled her heart with so much joy to hear Amber say those words. She was nervous about the dress because she wasn't sure if the colors would look good on her or if the dress mad her look... bigger. That's why she really didn't like wearing new dresses, especially in front of Amber. But hearing those words for the girl of her dreams made all those fear disappear.

"You really think so?" Sofia repeated. Amber smiled wider before stepping closer to Sofia and taking her hands.

"Of course I do," she said. "It fits you perfectly." Sofia averted her eyes once more, but the smile never left her face. But then she felt Amber's hand on her cheek as she pulled Sofia to look at her once more. They looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like forever, neither one wanting to break the contact. Sofia felt like she was in a trance as she looked into those amber eyes, the reason for her name. She loved looking into beautiful eyes. She felt that no treasure in the world could compare to them.

Amber seemed to be in the same trance as well. She never noticed this before, but Sofia had the most lovely eyes. She had no idea where these thoughts were coming from, but they were all that filled her mind. She looked deeply into those light blue eyes, not wanting to look away. She was so entranced by them that she almost didn't notice that their faces were slowly getting closer. Only problem was, Sofia wasn't the one moving.

Sofia seemed to notice this too, she she slowly closed her eyes and waited. Waited for the one thing she wanted more than anything else in the world. How ever, once Amber realized what she was about to do, panicked and retreated away. She then cleared her throat, making Sofia quickly open her eyes. Sofia looked up at Amber and saw how red her face was, surely not as much as hers though.

"Well," Amber said while averting her eyes. "I suppose I better get ready for dinner myself." Though with a bit of disappointment in her heart, Sofia smiled a warm smile up at Amber.

"Of course," she said. "I'm sure you'll be wanting to get out of those sweaty clothes." Amber hesitantly looked back at Sofia and noticed her smile, causing her to smile as well.

"I'll see you downstairs then." With that, Amber turned and made her way out of Sofia's bedroom. Sofia watched her with the same smile until Amber had finally disappeared behind the doors, but not with out giving Sofia one last smile before shutting the doors. Once she had walked passed second set of doors and closed them, Amber quickly turned around and leaned against the doors, thinking about what she had almost done.

_What the hell was that?! _she thought to herself as she placed a hand on her forehead. _What is wrong with you?! Were you really just about to kiss your sister?!_

Amber didn't know how to feel about this. It was something that had never happened to her before. Kissing a Prince was once thing, though she had never done that either, but kissing her sister, let alone a princess? As far as she could remember, she had always been attracted to men. So why was it that she was suddenly attracted to her sister? These thoughts continued to plague her as she made her way towards her room down the hall. This was something she was going to have to think long and hard about.

Once Amber had left, Sofia's face fell as she let the disappointment in her heart show on her face. She was sure that Amber was going to kiss her, but then she assumed that it must have been just her imagination. And how she must have looked when Amber backed away, she must have scared Amber off. Having this in her mind, Sofia walked over to her bed and fell face her upon it. She then crossed her arms in front of her face as tears began to form in her eyes. She wanted to cry as she realized that her feeling might go unrequited. And worse, she might scare Amber away from her forever. These thoughts broke her heart. She didn't what she would do if that were to happen. She didn't want to loose Amber. Tears were about to fall until she heard a familiar voice close to her.

"Sofia?" Clover asked. Sofia quickly looked up at her rabbit friend, not expecting anyone to be in her room.

"Clover?" She wiped the tears in her eyes before giving Clover a warm smile. "Hey, how are you?" Clover raised an eyebrow.

"I'm fine," he said. "But you don't seem to be. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Sofia lied while still smiling. Clover looked at her unconvinced as he crossed his arms.

"You're still a bad liar Sof." Sofia let out a nervous giggle.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Clover tapped his foot on the bed covers impatiently.

"The only times you hang around in your room with your head down is when something is bothering you. And the tears you were about to shed only prove my point." Sofia averted her gaze from her friend, not liking where this conversation is heading.

"I just had a bad time, that's all."

"Not from what I've seen today," Clover replied. "Sofia quickly looked back at her rabbit friend, face turning red.

"What do you mean?"

"I was at you race today. Which, congratulations on winning by the way. I wanted to see you race so I hid in the back of the couch after you left for the Derby. I wanted to be there to congratulate you when you won. But you were crowded by all your friends so I thought I would congratulate you back at the castle. But first I followed you around to make sure you were alright after your little fall, which I'll have to thank and congratulate Minimus for later. After that, I waited back at the couch until it was time to go. Then when the couch landed, I ran up here and waited for you." Sofia looked away from Clover once more as she listen to his words. She knew he had seen everything, and she meant _everything. _But the question still formed in her mind, but she was afraid to ask, for fear of the answer.

"How much did you see?" was all she asked. All was quiet for a moment or two before Clover finally spoke, knowing fully well what she was referring to.

"Enough," he answered. Sofia nodded in understanding. "But I want you to be the one to tell me, but only when you're ready." Sofia nodded again and the room was silent once more.

"When did you figure it out?" she asked. Without looking, she could tell that Clover shrugged his shoulders.

"I had my suspicious yesterday after I saw you and Amber. But I wasn't completely sure." Sofia let out a breath she had been holding in.

"So that's why you followed my?"

"Not completely. Like I said, I followed you to make sure you were alright after your fall. I was actually about to leave when Vivian left and it was just the to of you. I had to be sure if my suspicions were correct so I continued to follow you two. But I still want you to tell me, but only when you're ready to tell me." Sofia was quiet as tears began to fall from her face. She wasn't sure if she _was _ready to tell him about it. It was something she had just come to the conclusion of just a few days ago. But Clover was her best friend and she felt that he deserved to know.

Clover, after seeing the tears roll down her cheeks, hopped over to Sofia and placed a paw on her arm to show that he was still there for her.

"It's alright Sof," he said. "I'm still going to be your best friend, no matter what." Sofia looked down at her best friend as more tears rolled down her face.

"You promise?" she asked. Clover gently smiled up at her.

"I promise." Sofia smiled down at him before turning away once more. She was quiet for a moment before she took a large breath, gathering up the courage, before releasing it.

"I'm a lesbian." The moment those words left her mouth, a huge weight seemed to have lifted from her shoulders. She felt good to have finally admitting to it out loud, and to her best friend. She looked over at Clover, who had a bright smile on his face. Seeing Clover smile at her made a smile of her own appear. Clover then jumped onto Sofia's lap and gave her a big hug, well as best as he could with his little arms, which Sofia gladly returned. New tears ran down her face, but not ones of sadness. These were tears of joy. She was very glad that her best friend accepted who she was with open arms, literally. They continued their embrace for a few more minutes before Sofia pulled away to look down at her Clover with a warm smile.

"Thank you so much for accepting me," she said. Clover returned the smile with one of his own.

"What are best friends for?" Sofia let out a small giggled before she embraced her rabbit friend once more. She loved Clover so much. He was one of the few friends that Sofia had that she could trust with everything. It made her feel so much better about telling him. She also knew Clover won't tell anyone about it

"You have no idea how much this means to me Clover." Said rabbit gently rubbed Sofia's back a few times.

"It's no problem Sof. All that matters is that you're happy." Sofia tighten her embrace on Clover before pulling back once more.

"But Amber?" Clover asked with a teasing smile. "Really?" Sofia giggled.

"Hey, what happened to as long as I'm happy?"

"I know, but Amber can be a piece of work sometimes." Sofia rolled her eyes and giggled again.

"She can be very sweet when she wants to be. As you saw when she won me Mr. Snuggles." Clover looked at Sofia with a raise eyebrow.

"Mr. Snuggles?" he asked. Sofia blushed as she smiled sheepishly.

"I've always wanted a teddy bear that I could snuggle with when I was a little girl and name him Mr. Snuggles." This time it was Clovers turn to roll his eyes.

"Whatever Sof," he said, still wearing a smile. "I'm just glad that you didn't decide to change _my_ name to Mr. Snuggles."

"I came close one time when we first met," Sofia admitted. "I almost forgot your name and almost slipped and called you that because we use to snuggle so much." Clover looked at Sofia and was about to say something when a tapping sound at the window interrupted him. They both looked towards the window and saw Robin, Mia and Whatnaught just outside. Sofia climbed off her bed and made her way towards the window to let in her the rest of her animal friends. Once she opened the window, Robin, Mia and Whatnaught came rushing in.

"Sofia!" Robin shouted. "We heard what happened at the Derby race. Are you alright?" Sofia closed the windows and turned to her friends.

"I'm alright guys," she said. "Really. There's nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?" Mia asked. "No broken bones? No concussion? No amnesia?" Sofia giggled at the blue bird as Clover came over to shoo them away.

"Hey, hey, hey!" he said. "Give the girl some space. She's perfectly fine so everything is fine and there's no need to interrogate her. She also won the race too." Everyone in the room looked over at Sofia with excitement.

"You won?!" Mia asked.

"Oh congratulations Sofia!" Robin shouted. Whatnaught nodded his head excitingly to show that he was happy for her. Sofia smiled at all her friends.

"Thank you all so much," she said. She then looked at the floor in thought for a moment before looking back up at her friends. "I also have something else to tell you all." Clover then jumped over in front of her with a look of concern.

"Sofia, you don't have to," he said. Sofia smiled warmly down at Clover.

"It's alright Clover," she said. "If I can tell you, I can tell them as well."

"Tell us what?" Robin asked. Sofia and Clover looked at each other for a moment before Clover gave a little sigh and smiled up at her, giving her a slight nod of encouragement. Sofia smiled once more before looking back at the rest of her friends.

"Everyone," She began, "I have something to say..."

**A/N: I know this is a little late, but finally finished and post this as a late Christmas present to you all. I hope you all had a great Christmas (or H****anukkah or Kwanzaa, whichever you celebrate. Or if you don't celebrate either, I still hope you all had wonderful Holidays) and hope you all have an amazing New Year. Please leave a review and tell me your thought, they really help move these chapters along.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry again for the lateness. But hopefully you all enjoy this chapter. Maybe we'll see how Amber's taking taking to her new feelings towards Sofia. ;)**

Chapter 6

After she left Sofia in her room, Amber decided to take a walk around the castle gardens to clear her mind as she waited for dinner. She was thinking about what she did back in Sofia's room, or what she almost did. She had almost kissed Sofia. She kept repeating the whole ordeal in her head over and over again, just trying to make sense of it. She had never felt like this before, with anyone. Not only did she almost kiss Sofia, but she had wanted to kiss Sofia. That thought in her mind started to scare her. She had never harbored any sort of feelings for another girl, so why was it that she felt that way about her sister? The whole thing was confusing and scary.

Amber continued to stroll through the gardens until she saw an bench close by. Her feet were pretty tired from all the walking she had done today and she felt that a little break would do wonders while she thought about her feelings. She took a seat down on the bench and let out a relived sigh after taking the weight off her feet. But her relaxation was short lived when she caught sight of some purple lilies sitting right next to the bench. A frown formed on Amber's faces as the purple on the lilies reminded her of a certain princess. Purple was Sofia's favorite color, and these were her favorite flowers. It also reminded Amber of the time Sofia brought her a large bouquet of flowers when she was sick a couple of years ago. Sofia was so worried about Amber that she rarely left her side for nearly two days. Whatever Amber needed, Sofia got it for her nearly instantly. Sofia would also stay up late to read her stories, and though Amber hated books, she found the stories that Sofia chose to be quite enjoyable. Amber was so grateful to have a sister like her.

There was also the time where Sofia handmade Amber a locket for her birthday. Amber was still bummed that she had to share a birthday with her twin so Sofia took it upon herself to make it a special day for just Amber. She spent nearly three months making that locket. Sure it wasn't a gold locket, but it meant so much more when Sofia gave it to her. Amber brought her hand up and grabbed that very same locket that she was wearing now, practically forgetting all about it. It meant so much to Amber that she never took it off, not even when she slept.

These memories brought a warm smile to Amber's face and temporarily made her forget about her troubles. However, the frown once again formed on her faces as a feeling of butterflies grew inside her. This was not helping at all. She was trying to sort out her feelings and all these memories were doing was making things even more confusing. Amber released a frustrated sigh as she placed her face in her hands and leaned her elbows on her knees. She stayed like that for a minute or two before she looked up. she then noticed the hedge maze in front of her. She then remember the time she accidentally turned Sofia into a purple cat and was chased all around that maze. Sofia was sore with her for a couple days, even though she had forgiven her. But they both thought it was funny now. Amber giggled at that memory before she realized that she was thinking of Sofia again. She tried to shake her head of any thoughts of Sofia but it didn't work. All she could think of was the smile Sofia show whenever she was happy. Once again Amber covered her face with her hands and released a defeated sigh.

"What is wrong with me," she asked herself. "I can't be having these feeling. I'm a princess, I can't be having these feelings for another girl. It's just not right."

Amber then thought about what would happen if her friends found out that she was starting to have feelings for a girl. She would be ruined. Her social life would be over and all the royals would find her disgusting. She would be made a fool of and would have to leave Royal Prep. It wouldn't be appropriate for a princess to have feeling for the same sex. She even heard of a kingdom or two trying to get rid of same-sex marriages. Of course she was against that. If two people are in love then it shouldn't matter who they marry. But when it came to royalty things were different. Royals had to be classy, elegant and proper. It would be considered an outrage should one become gay. Although that kind of thinking was old fashion, Amber was afraid that people thought that way now.

Then she though, What if her family thought that way? What if Sofia thought that way? What if Sofia, the sweetest girl anyone could meet, thought that gays were gross. What would Sofia found out that Amber was developing feelings for her. It would ruin there relationship with her and with her family. Now she wasn't sure if she was even developing feelings for Sofia, but she was afraid that her family might disown her for liking another girl. Amber removed her hands from her face and sat up straight. It was then that she decided that no once would find out about this, not even Sofia. The risks were too great and she didn't want the life she had to change. She would get rid of these feeling one way or another without damaging her relation with her family.

"Princess Amber?" a voice called out. "Are you out here?" Amber looked towards the castle and called back.

"Over here Baileywick!" A few moments later, she saw the castle steward approaching from around the corner. Once he was close enough, he stopped and bowed slightly.

"Dinner is ready for you," he said. "Everyone else is waiting for you in the Banquet Hall." Amber smiled and stood up from the bench. Dinner sounded really good right now. Maybe she could sort out her feelings over a full stomach.

"Thank you Baileywick," she said. She then proceeded to walk past Baileywick when he spoke.

"Is everything alright Princess Amber?" Said princess stopped in her tracks and looked back at the steward.

"Of course," she said trying to keep her voice from cracking. "Everything is fine." But Baileywick wasn't buying it. Something in Amber's voice didn't sound right and it was concerning him. It was his job to find out what was wrong in the castle and fix it, even if it was with the children.

"Are you sure? You don't seem to be your usual self." Amber narrowed her eyes at the him.

"I am fine Baileywick," she said sternly. "Nothing is wrong." But her voice didn't faze the steward. He just smiled at the teenage princess.

"Amber, I know when something is bothering you. You always go off by yourself and throw an attitude."

"And what concern is it of yours?" Baileywick kept his smile, he was use to Amber's temper tantrums by now.

"Because it's my job to fix any problem that occurs within the castle walls. Even when it comes to you and you siblings." He then gestured to the bench. "Now please tell me whats wrong." Amber tried to keep her stern look, but she could never be mad at Baileywick, not when he's just trying to help her. She sighed again, for what felt like the hundredth time that day, before walking over to the bench and sat down, followed by Baileywick.

"So what troubling you Amber?" Baileywick asked gently. Amber looked down at the ground, she really wasn't up for talking about this. She wasn't even sure that she was developing feelings for Sofia. But maybe talking about it would help with the process. She looked over at Baileywick.

"Let's just say that I'm starting to question myself," she finally said. Baileywick raised an eyebrow at the young princess.

"How so?" he asked. Amber averted her gaze and looked back towards the floor.

"I might be developing feeling for someone I shouldn't be." Baileywick nodded before looking at the floor himself.

"Is that really a bad thing?" Amber looked back at the steward with a serious look.

"Of course it is!" she said loudly. "I shouldn't be having these feelings. If it should get out then my life is ruined. People will look at me differently and I will never be queen if people find out." Baileywick looked at the young princess and was a bit confused. He was trying to put the pieces together but nothing really seemed to fit. He wanted to ask who she had feelings for but didn't want to press the matter, knowing how badly Amber felt about this. He decided to take it slow and not ask simple questions.

"Is this person a peasant?" he asked. If it was a Royal or any kind of Noble then it shouldn't matter. But he still needed more information from Amber in order to help her. Amber looked away again and sighed.

"No, they're a Royal. But it doesn't matter. I shouldn't be feeling this way towards this person." Baileywick was still confused.

"If this person is a Royal, then I don't see the problem with having feelings for them."

"The problem isn't if they're Royal or not. The problem is who they are. And before you ask, no this person isn't a bad person. Far from it in fact. It's just that... that..." Amber gave a defeated grunt and covered her face for the third time. "It's really complicated." Baileywick smiled a little as the pieces started to come together. He just needed to ask one more question in order for the puzzle to be finished. He leaned against his legs and linked his hands together.

"This person wouldn't happen to be a girl now would it?" Amber quickly looked back at Baileywick with panic in her eyes.

"N-no!" she said, a little too loudly. "Of course not! Why would you ask such a thing?!" Baileywick smiled as he looked at the princess, he had finally gotten his answer.

"I asked because you wouldn't be acting like this if it was just some boy." Amber looked at the steward as her face softened a little, but the panic was still there. After a moment, Amber slumped down and looked towards the ground in defeat.

"I suppose that secrets out huh?" Baileywick chuckled a little.

"No necessarily," he said, causing Amber to slightly turn to look at him. "This can stay only between us." Amber looked back at the ground.

"You must think I'm disgusting huh?" This time, Baileywick frown.

"Of course not!" He said sternly. Amber looked confusingly at the steward. "I would never think such a thing."

"But isn't it wrong for a girl to like another girl?" Baileywick shook his head.

"Not in my opinion. And who cares what others think?"

"I do," Amber admitted. "I care what others think. Because I'm a princess, and princesses shouldn't be have these feelings."

"Says who?" Baileywick asked.

"Everyone. The fairies at Royal Prep are preparing us so that we can marry princes, not other princesses." Baileywick looked away and puzzled about this for a moment.

"Well I don't honestly know what to say about that," he admitted. "But I do know that you should follow your heart where ever it leads you." Amber sighed once more before looking up at Baileywick.

"I'm not sure what my heart is telling me. I'm not even sure what I feel for this girl." Baileywick smiled warmly at Amber and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Give it time, I'm sure you'll figure it out." Amber returned the smile before sitting up on the bench. A thought then crossed her mind and she faced Baileywick once again.

"How do you know so much about these things?" Baileywick smiled at her before standing up.

"That's for another time," he said before taking out his pocket watch. "Right now it's time for dinner, and we're very late. But for now, just listen to your heart. I'm sure things will work themselves out." Amber stood up as well. Once she did, she quickly embraced Baileywick in a tight hug, catching him off guard.

"Thanks for the talk Baileywick," she said. "I really needed it." Baileywick smiled down at her and returned the hug.

"It was my pleasure Princess Amber." With that, they pulled away from each other and Amber proceeded to make her way towards the castle. Baileywick looked on at the princess with a proud smile.

"Yes," he whispered, "It was a pleasure indeed."

**A/N: Sorry if this was a short chapter, I started this chapter this morning. I'm honestly surprised that I finished this chapter so quickly. I'll try to post another chapter sooner. And again, sorry for the long wait, I really needed a break from writing. But now I'm back and will be writing again to bring you more of this story. Please tell me your thoughts on this chapter. Every word counts.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Really sorry for the long wait guys. I really needed a break from this story. A lot has been happening right now and I really needed it. But now I'm back and will hopefully finish the next chapter quickly. I hope you all enjoyed last chapter. This one will hopefully be much better.**

Chapter 7

Later that night, everything was just awkward and confusing for both Sofia and Amber. During dinner, almost neither one of them spoke. James would keep talking about how he was going to be swarmed with adoring fans at school tomorrow so that mainly diverted everyone else's attention. However, Sofia and Amber remained quite as they tried to keep their eyes on their food. But whenever Roland or Miranda would ask them a question, they would mainly just shrug their shoulders or give a short answer. Before their parent could ask if something was wrong, James would continue to go on about the day he had. Sofia and Amber continued to remain quiet as they tried to eat their dinner. But every now and then, without the other knowing, they would occasionally glance over at one another when the other wasn't looking. But every time Sofia looked over at Amber, her heart hurt just a little more.

Sofia was feeling good about herself before she came to dinner. She had just came out to her friends that she was a lesbian. And to her surprise, they all accepted her for who she was. She must have spent the last ten minutes crying tears of joy and hugging her friends. Baileywick then came to let Sofia know that dinner was ready. Sofia walked down to the Banquet Hall with a smile on her face, feeling proud of herself. She also felt very happy that she wasn't going to be rejected by her friends. But when she entered the Banquet Hall, her smile fell. Her family was sitting in their usual spots at the table, all except one. Amber was nowhere to be found. Sofia's heart began to hurt as she felt that Amber was trying to avoid her. She looked towards the floor as she took her seat next to her mother, right across from Amber. As dinner was being served, there was still no sign of Amber. Roland seemed to notice this and asked Baileywick to go find Amber. A few minutes later, Baileywick returned with Amber. Sofia was partially relieved that Amber was alright, but was also afraid that Amber would look at her differently, thinking that Amber knew Sofia's secret. And when she looked up at Amber and saw that she wasn't even looking at her, part of her wanted to cry. But she refused to do so as she looked back down at her food.

When Amber entered the room, the first person she noticed was Sofia. However, her back was turned to her. She was partially grateful because if Sofia were to look her in the eyes, Amber was sure that her heart would burst from her chest. So when Sofia turned to look at her, Amber quickly averted her eyes and went to take her seat across from her. Every now and then she would take a quick glance at Sofia. She still didn't know how she felt about her. It was just so confusing for her. She was also afraid of what Sofia would think if she found out that Amber might have feelings for her. What would her family think?

The night went on with the two sneaking glances at one another. But then, at the same time, both Amber and Sofia looked up and made made eye contacted with each other. They stayed like that for a minute or two, not knowing what to do. As they stared into each other's eyes, Amber could see something in Sofia's eyes. Something that made her worry.

Hurt.

Amber may not have shown it, but she was now very concerned for Sofia. Why was she hurting? What could have cause her to feel like this? In that moment, Amber did the only thing she could think of to try to cheer her up. She smiled at Sofia. But it wasn't a fake smile that she would usually give people to get off her back. This was a genuine smile. A smile that would tell anyone that she was there for Sofia, and nothing would break that.

Sofia was caught by surprise by Amber's smile. She hadn't seen a smile like that in a while. Sofia could tell that this was a genuine smile. It was a smile that made Sofia's heart race once more and a warm feeling began to grow in her stomach. It was true that she was hurt, feeling that she had scared Amber into avoiding her, that the bond she had with Amber was lost. But now that feeling was gone and replaced with joy. Sofia could do nothing else but smile right back.

Amber, seeing the hurt in Sofia's eye fade away, smiled even wider. They continued to smile and stare at one another for what felt like forever until a blush started to form on Sofia's face. Feeling her cheeks heat up, Sofia averted her gave to try to hide her face. Amber raised an eyebrow at her but kept the smile on her face. Sofia slightly glanced at Amber once more before looking away again, blushing even more. Amber noticed Sofia and thought she was really cute and let out a small giggle. Sofia heard the giggle and looked back at Amber to see her covering her mouth, trying to muffle the giggle. Sofia pouted and crossed her arms, trying to look annoyed. However, it only worked in making Amber giggle even more. Hearing Amber laughing made Sofia crack a smile. Soon enough, she was laughing right alongside Amber. By now, everyone at the table was looking towards the two girls with confused looks.

"What's so funny?" Roland asked. Amber managed to calm down a little in order to answer her father.

"Nothing Daddy," she said as she looked back at Sofia, who was still in a fit of giggling.

"It sure doesn't sound like nothing," he said as a smile grew on his face at seeing his children happy for an unknown reason. This time it was Sofia who calmed down a little bit.

"It's really nothing dad," she said. Roland raised an eyebrow as he looked over at his wife, who only shrugged her shoulders in response before turning to Sofia.

"So Sofia," Miranda said, "Do you have any plans on who you'll be dancing with at the Ball?" Sofia didn't answer right away, in fact, she didn't have an answer to give. She looked down at her food as a blush began to form on her face. She did have one person in mind, but she wasn't sure if she should say it out loud. Since she was getting older, her father would be expecting her to be dancing with princes. But she didn't want to dance with any prince. She wanted to dance with Amber. Sure it wouldn't be the first time she had danced with Amber, but this was a public event and she wasn't sure if her parents would allow it. She then quickly glanced over at Amber before looking back at her mother.

"Not really," she said. "I haven't really found the perfect partner yet."

"Well you better hurry," King Roland said. "The Ball is only five days away. But I'm sure you'll find the perfect prince to dance with." Sofia nodded and gave her father a smile, except it was really a fake smile. Of course her father would think she wanted to be with a boy. She was sure her father would prefer her to dance with a prince. But her heart wouldn't be into it. She wanted to dance with Amber. Her heart tightened a little at the thought of not dancing with Amber, but what choice did she have. She let out a small sigh and looked back down at her plate, trying her best to not let the gloom in her heart show on her face.

Meanwhile, Amber had an idea forming into her head. This could be the opportunity that she was looking for. Maybe the Ball could be the perfect way to see how she truly felt about Sofia. But she didn't want it to be known. She had to keep this secret until the Ball was over. And hopefully when it is, she will have decided on how she feels about Sofia. All she needed to do was set her plan into action.

"I think I have someone in mind," Amber said. Everyone at the table was caught by surprise by Amber's outburst, especially Sofia. She looked at Amber with great confusion. And apparently she wasn't the only one.

"Who?" James asked.

"Oh, I'm gonna leave it as a surprise."

"Now Amber," Roland said. "I don't think it's up to you to find Sofia someone to dance with. She's more than capable of finding someone on her own." But this didn't deter Amber as she only smiled at her father.

"Trust me Daddy," she said, "I have the perfect person in mind for Sofia." Roland let out a sigh.

"Amber I don't see why-"

"I trust her." Everyone at the table looked over at Sofia, who had a look of seriousness on her face.

"What?" Roland asked. Sofia turned to her step-father.

"If Amber has someone in mind for me to dance with, then I trust." She finished her statement by looking over at Amber and gave her a warm smile. Amber was surprised by this for a moment, but shook the feeling away and smiled right back. She was really amazed that Sofia would just give her her trust like that, especially when she had no idea who Amber was talking about. She just hoped that she wouldn't be disappointed on who the person was. But nonetheless, Amber smiled at Sofia before she let out a tired yawn.

"Well," she said as she stood up and stretched. "I'm gonna head to bed now. Goodnight everyone." She then made her way towards the doors when she heard a small voice behind her.

"M-mind if I join you?" Sofia said in a nervous voice. Amber stopped dead in her tracks and a deep blush formed on her face. So many things ran through her mind at the moment, thoughts that she should be having. But the one that stood out was the thought of both her and Sofia sharing the same bed. It was that thought that made her face nearly as red as a tomato. But she then shook that thought out of her head, slightly cursing herself for having such an idea. Sofia just meant if she could join Amber on her walk back to her room, since their rooms were right next to one another. Amber then looked back at Sofia and smiled.

"Sure," she said. Sofia's face immediately lit up and she practically jumped out of her seat and ran towards Amber. Once she was right next to her, Amber offered her arm, which Sofia gladly accepted. They then made their way out of the Banquet hall before Amber gave Sofia a teasing smile. "But don't even bother asking who it is, because I'm not telling." Sofia placed her free hand over her mouth as she let out a cute little giggle.

"Oh of course not," she said. "Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. I'm sure you have everything under control." Amber raised an eyebrow.

"Is that sarcasm I hear?" A sly grin formed on Sofia's face.

"Maybe," Sofia teased. Amber made a sly grin of her own.

"Careful. Remember, I'm the one picking your dance partner." Sofia looked back at Amber.

"Is that a threat?" Amber then mimicked the movement that Sofia did a few moments ago.

"Maybe." With that, both girls left the Banquet Hall laughing and enjoying themselves while the rest of their family continued to eat their dinner. Little did both girls know that Bayliewick, who had witnessed _everything _that had transpired between them, looked on at the door where the two princesses had just left with a smile on his face, feeling proud of Amber and Sofia. But also felt concern for the two of them, afraid of the future that may be in stored for them.

* * *

Sofia and Amber continued to walk towards their rooms in silence, but it was a pleasant silence. They spent the first half of the walk giggling and chatting about the how excited they were for the coming Ball. They were both talking about what gowns they were going to wear, mainly Amber talking and Sofia just listening. Amber wasn't sure if she was going to go with that night-blue dress that Sofia had picked out or if she was just going to go with a golden one. Sofia then told Amber that she would look great in whatever she picked out, but she did like that night-blue gown. Amber blushed at the complement and they continued their walk in silence. They still had their arms linked together, but sometime during the conversation without realizing it, Amber hand her hands on top of Sofia's.

The two princess were walking through a corridor with large windows on the left side. It was currently night time and Sofia noticed the full moon in the sky. Sofia loved looking out at the stars. It gave her a sense of freedom when she gazed upon them. A feeling that whenever she looked at them, everything in the world was better. She was so mesmerized by them that she stopped walking, casing Amber to stop as well. Amber, feeling Sofia stop in her tracks, looked down at her step-sister with curiosity.

"Isn't the night sky beautiful?" Sofia asked, even though Sofia didn't know that Amber was looking at her. Amber raised an eyebrow before looking up at the night sky. Amber then realized that Sofia was right. The night was very indeed beautiful, especially the full moon. Amber never really looked at the stars before. But for some strange reason, they captivated her tonight.

Both girls were so entranced by the beauty of the night sky that neither one realized that they were now resting their heads on one another, Sofia on Amber's shoulder while Amber rested on top of Sofia's. They stayed in the position for a few more minutes before Sofia let out a tired yawn, causing Amber to let down at her with a smile.

"We should probably get to bed now," Amber said. Sofia nodded her head as she closed her eyes and kept her head placed on Amber's shoulder. Amber's smile widened a bit before she gently pulled Sofia towards their rooms.

A few minutes later, they were finally at their rooms. But since Amber's room was just before Sofia's, Amber decided that she would walk Sofia to her room first. Once they reached her bedroom door, Sofia looked up at Amber.

"Thanks for coming to the Derby today Amber," Sofia said softy. Amber looked at Sofia with a soft smile and nodded.

"Of course," she said. "I'm your biggest fan after all." She then gave Sofia a little wink, causing Sofia to giggle.

"I had a great time at the festival today. Thanks again for winning me that bear. I really love it." A deep blush began to form on Amber's face as she averted her gaze a bit.

"Y-your welcome," she stuttered without realizing it. "I h-had fun today too."

Sofia noticed that Amber was stuttering and thought that she was making her uncomfortable. Her heart began to ache once more and a slight frown formed on her lips and she turned towards her bedroom door, not wanted to make matters worse. But before she opened her door, she turned to Amber once more.

"Well," she spoke softly. "Goodnight." The tone in Sofia's voice caught Amber off guard. There was pain in her voice once more. But what could possibly cause Sofia to be so sad, especially after she had won the Derby race? Amber was going to get to the bottom of this, even if it killed her.

_Which hopefully it doesn't_, Amber thought to herself before looking at Sofia with care and concern.

"Sofia," she said. "Is something wrong?" Sofia had just opened her door but stopped dead in her tracks. She wan't expecting a question like that. She quickly turned around and gave Amber the best smile she could to cover the hurt in her heart.

"Oh I'm fine," Sofia said as she tried to wave it off. "I'm just a little tired." She tried to run behind her door to avoid any further questions when she felt a hand on her arm. Sofia looked back to see Amber giving her a stern, but concern expression.

"Sofia," Amber said. "I know you better than that. What's wrong?" Sofia's heart was racing a million miles an hour. She didn't know how to answer without revealing her feelings to her. Her main thought was to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. But Sofia knew that would be futile. Amber looked determined to find out what was wrong with Sofia, and she was really good at it. Sofia averted her eyes away from Amber's gaze, fearing that she would get lost in them.

"I-I don't know," Sofia said finally, hoping that Amber would leave it at that. But Amber wasn't buying it.

"Yes you do Sofia," she said. Sofia brought a hand to her mouth as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Amber please," Sofia begged, just wanting to go into her room and sit on her bed. But Amber wasn't having it. She wanted to help Sofia because she knew there was a problem. But what Amber did next didn't help Sofia as much as confuse _her_. She reached out to Sofia and grabbed her waist and turned her so she would face her. When Sofia felt a hand on her waist her eyes widened as she was spun around to face Amber.

Sofia's face was burning as her mind went blank at how close her and Amber were. Their breasts were pressed against each other as Amber still had her hand on Sofia's waist. Amber had no idea why she did that, but it was all she could think of to get Sofia to look at her. But now that she did it, and was now looking at Sofia directly in the eyes. At this distance, Amber could really see how beautiful Sofia's eyes really were. Right now, she was lost in them. As for Sofia, she was scared out of her mind. Not because of Amber's actions, but because she was afraid she was going to do something that she will most likely regret, like kissing her. It took all of her willpower to restrain herself from doing just that.

Both Amber and Sofia stayed in that position for what felt like forever, just gazing into each others eyes, not wanting to look away. The, slowly, Amber brought the hand that she had holding Sofia's right arm up and gently cupped Sofia's cheek. And to Amber's surprise, Sofia didn't pull away, but in fact leaned into the touch. Sofia gently placed her hands on Amber's shoulders as she closed her eyes to feel the touch of Amber's hand on her cheek. Sofia then opened her eyes once more to look up at Amber. Amber then brought her hand that cupped Sofia's cheek down and placed it on Sofia's waist with her other hand.

They stared at each other for a few moments longer before Amber started to lean in. Sofia noticed this and was afraid that Amber was gonna pull back again, but leaned in nonetheless. Time seemed to slowed down as they closed the distance with one another. Both of their hearts were racing so fast that they thought they just might have a heart attack right there, but neither wanted to pull away. They could feel the other's breath on their faces and closed their eyes and waited for what was to come. The continued to close the distance until finally, their lips touched.

The sensation was unlike anything Sofia could have imagined. She had been dreaming about this for a long time, long before she even knew she had feelings for Amber. And now it was finally happening. Amber was kissing her. She was kissing Amber. They were kissing each other. Sofia couldn't be happier than she was at that moment. The feeling of pure bliss upon her lips. Nothing could be better than this.

Amber was feeling pretty much the same thing. She couldn't believe she was kissing Sofia right now, for a different reason. She honestly never thought she would be kissing another girl in her entire life, let alone her step-sister. But in that moment, she didn't care. All her thought were on kissing Sofia. And right now, that's all that mattered to her. She pull Sofia closer to her as much as she could, wanting more of her. Sofia brought her arms up and wrapped them around Amber's neck. Neither one wanted to pull away, but were forced to due to lack of air. As soon as they pulled away, they stared at each other once again. Both girls had no idea what to say next.

"I-" Amber said nervously. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Sofia let out a small giggle as if nothing had happened.

"Yes," she replied. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bright and early." Amber smiled as Sofia slowly release her arms from around Amber's neck and turned towards her bedroom door, but not before, but not before brushing her hand against Amber's. Once Sofia was on the other side of the door, she turned towards Amber and smiled.

"Goodnight," she said. Amber smiled as well.

"Goodnight." With that, Sofia slowly closed the door as she waved to Amber. Once the bedroom door was shut, Amber turned and made her way to her own room. Once she entered her room, Amber leaned against her door. Little did she know that Sofia was doing the exact same thing. Both girls had a million things running through their minds at that moment, but one thought stood out against the rest.

_I just kissed my step-sister, and it was amazing._

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. And once again, I'm really sorry for the late update. But hopefully things will get better. Please tell me your thoughts and I'll see you guys later.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for the great reviews on last chapter. Here's another one for you guys.**

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Chapter 8

The sun rose the next morning and shone brightly in Sofia's room. Beams of light shined through the bedroom windows and into Sofia's eyes, causing her to wake up reluctantly. Sofia tried to cover her eyes with her pillow and fall back to sleep, but the damage had already been done. She sluggishly sat up in her bed and let out an unladylike yawn as she stretched her body. She wasn't in the best of moods because she was forced to wake up from a rather pleasant dream where she was having a picnic with amber and she was feeding her grapes. Sofia smiled at the memory of the dream and let out a small sigh.

Then the memories of last night came flooding into her head like a broken dam. She had kissed Amber last night. Her first kiss was with Amber. Sofia was still in shock about that whole day, let alone that single event. The day started out with her getting ready for the Flying Derby race, then she nearly got killed in said race, won the race, spent the day with Amber, had an awkward dinner with Amber, then ended up kissing Amber. So much had happened in a single day. But the part where she shared her first kiss with Amber stayed in her mind.

Sofia was so happy as a wide smile spread across her face. Sofia practically jumped out of bed and ran to her closet. She dressed in her usual purple dress and checked to make sure her amulet was still around her neck before running out of her bedroom. She nearly slipped on the floor as she turned the corner. And to her surprise and glee, there was Amber, just walking out of her room. Sofia couldn't contain her excitement as she nearly sprinted over to her. Amber almost didn't see it coming when Sofia jumped on her and wrapped her arms around even though she was caught off guard, Amber wrapped her arms around Sofia's waist and hugged her back. After a moment, they both pulled back and looked each other in the eyes as Sofia gave Amber a loving smile.

"Good morning," Sofia said cheerfully. But to her surprise, Amber wasn't smiling back at her.

"Good morning Sofia," Amber said as she averted her gaze. The tone in Amber's voice caused Sofia to worry a bit.

"Is everything alright?" Sofia asked. Amber closed her eyes and let out a big sigh. She didn't say anything for a moment before she looked behind her to see if anyone was around to listen. She then looked back at Sofia, took her hands, and pulled her into her bedroom. Once they were inside, Amber shut the door and faced Sofia.

"Sofia," Amber said softly. "I'm so sorry." Sofia looked at Amber in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Amber sighed as she walked passed Sofia and towards her bed. Once there, she sat on her bed and placed her hands on her lap, refusing to make eye contact with Sofia.

"The kiss last night," she said. "It was a mistake." Sofia's heart nearly broke into a million pieces when she heard that as tears threatened to form, but she blinked them away.

"W-what do you mean," Sofia said as her voice began to tremble. But Amber failed to notice as she looked up at her step-sister, tears in her own eyes.

"I don't know what came over me," she said. "I didn't mean to kiss you last night. It just happened." None of this was sounding good to Sofia. Her heart was breaking with every word she heard. Amber was taking back the kiss, regretting it ever happened. It was too much for her. It felt like Amber was breaking up with her, except they weren't even going out. Even so, it was still painful to hear. Sofia turned around, not wanting Amber to see her crying. But then she heard the sound of a body falling on a mattress and looked back to see Amber laying on her back with her hands on her face.

"You must really hate me right now," Amber said. Against her better judgment, Sofia decided to walk over to the bed and sit next to Amber. She the took one of Amber hands in her own, causing Amber to look up at Sofia. Even though she had tears in her eyes and her heart was hurting, she still gave Amber a warm smile.

"I don't hate you Amber," Sofia said. "I could never hate you." True, Sofia was greatly upset at the moment, but she could never find it in her heart to hate anyone, let alone Amber. Said princess sat up on her bed and looked down at the floor, but didn't take her hand away from Sofia's. She let out another large sigh.

"I actually did mean to kiss you last night," Amber admitted, greatly surprising Sofia.

"Y-you did?" Sofia stuttered. Amber nodded.

"Yes. But I don't know why. Maybe its because I'm confused." Sofia raised an eyebrow at her step-sister.

"Confused about what?" Amber stayed silent for a moment before looking up at Sofia.

"I'm confused about my feelings for you." Sofia's eyes widened at Amber's words. She had no idea what to say after that. Her mind was in complete shock. Could it be that Amber might have feelings for her? Sofia didn't want to get her hopes up just yet. More still needed to be said. But she didn't know what to say. So she said the first thing that came to mind.

"W-what?" she asked. Amber sighed and took her hand back from Sofia.

"After you almost fell from your horse during the Derby, I've been having these feelings in my heart. At first I thought it was just because you almost died. But these feelings haven't gone away and I don't know what they are. And after that kiss last night, things have only gotten even more confusing. I don't know what to do." Amber then placed her head in her hands as Sofia looked on at Amber. She had listened to every word Amber had said and was trying to put the pieces together. Sofia wanted to know more so she decided to ask the first question she could think of.

"Could it be possible that you have feelings for me?" she finally asked. Amber didn't answer right away. She stayed silent for what felt like a minute before she finally looked Sofia in the eye.

"I don't know," she admitted. "That's why I feel so bad about that kiss. Mainly because I kissed you without your permission." Sofia raised an eyebrow at Amber. Does Amber really think that she doesn't have feelings? Sofia let out a chuckle, causing Amber to look at her curiously.

"What's so funny?" she asked. Sofia calmed her giggles before answering.

"Who says that I didn't give you permission?" Amber stared at Sofia for a long while, contemplating on what she just said.

"Are you saying," Amber began, "that you have feelings for me?" Sofia averted her gaze as she brought her hands together on her lap.

"I kissed you back didn't I?" Amber continued to stare at Sofia, unable to believe what she was hearing. Her step-sister had romantic feelings for her. She couldn't decide whether to be happy or not. It all made matter all the more confusing. Amber let out a loud groan as she fell back on her bed.

"This makes things even more complicated," Amber said. Sofia, not expecting this reaction, looked at Amber with confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Amber turned her head slightly to look at her step-sister.

"Now I feel even worse because I feel like I lead you on," she answered. "And this isn't right." This time, Sofia narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest in a pout.

"Why is that?" she asked out loud. Amber then suddenly stood up from her bed and walked a couple of steps away before looking back at Sofia with a serious expression.

"Because we're both girls," Amber said. "On top of that we're sister. Granted we're step-sisters, but still sisters. No body will accept that. What would everyone think of us? What would Mom and Dad think of us? Our lives would be forever changed. I don't think I could handle that." Sofia narrowed her eyes before standing up as well.

"So what?!" she said loudly, catching Amber off guard. "I don't care what others think of me. If our friends don't accept us for who we are then they were never our friends to begin with. It's our lives Amber, and we should be allowed to do whatever we want with it."

"But what about Mom and Dad?" Amber retorted. "What will they think of us?"

"I'm sure they will understand Amber. They are our parents. And we're not blood related so it's not exactly incest." Sofia walked over to Amber and took her hands in her own. "I'm not afraid Amber. I'm proud of who I am. I feel that you should be too." Amber stared into Sofia's eyes and saw the determination in them. She always knew that Sofia was brave, which was something she always admired about her. She always stood up for what she believed in. Amber stared at Sofia for a moment longer before giving her a warm smile.

"I wish I was a courageous as you Sofia," she said, causing Sofia to blush significantly.

"I know you can be Amber," Sofia replied.

Amber looked away from Sofia and began to think about the situation before her. She was still scared of what people would think of her. She didn't want to be an outcast by her friends, or her family. for most of her life, she had always went on how everyone thought of her, almost to the point where it ran her life. Maybe this was a chance to become a better person. For things to be different in her life. She still had no idea how she felt about Sofia, or what she was going to do. She then remembered her plan for the Ball this Friday. It could be the only chance to determine her feelings. She looked back at Sofia and smiled.

"I still don't know my feelings for you," she admitted, which cause Sofia's face to fall slightly. "But if you can be patient with me until after the Ball this Friday, I'll give you my answer then. Okay?" Sofia's face suddenly brightened up.

"Yes!" she said, a little too loudly. "I can do that." Amber giggled at her behavior.

"Okay then," she said. "It's a deal." Sofia was so excited about this that she couldn't help but wrap her arms around Amber and pull her into a kiss, catching Amber completely off guard. Realizing what she was doing, Sofia quickly pulled away and stood sheepishly with her hands behind her back, not making eye contact with Amber.

"S-sorry," Sofia apologized. Amber, after recovering from the shock of the quick, but blissful, kiss, covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

"It's alright," she said before offering an arm to Sofia. "Shall we head downstairs for breakfast?" Sofia smiled at Amber and happily accepted the arm and the two of them exited the bedroom and headed down towards the Banquet Hall for breakfast. But throughout the walk down, Sofia couldn't help but lean her head on Amber's should. And to her surprise, Amber never pulled away. She even leaned her own head on Sofia's, much to said Princess' enjoyment.

Soon both Princesses were in the Banquet Hall and took their seats across from one another. They ate their breakfast in silence with the rest of their family, though not without sneaking glances at one another, and giggled when one made eye contact with the other. Sofia even went as far as to play footsies with Amber. Amber would give warning glances at Sofia, but she would ignore them and continue her antics. Soon the time came when the Amber, James and Sofia had to head for the carriage to go to school. As usual, Sofia would sit next to Amber, but made sure not to sit too close to her. She didn't want to appear clingy to her, nor did she want to draw attention to them either.

Amber noticed that Sofia sat a little further away from her than usual, which part of her didn't like. She looked over at Sofia, who was staring out of the side of the carriage with a smile on her face. She looked so beautiful. She wanted to move closer to Sofia and hold her. But she remembered that James was in the carriage with them and restrained herself from doing just that. Amber looked out of the side of the carriage and sighed, but not loud enough for anyone to hear. It was only Monday and the Ball was this Friday. She had only five days to figure out her feelings towards Sofia, and find a way to make it so that no one ever finds out.

_This is going to be a long week._

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**A/N: I told you guys I would be back soon. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it. Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. I look forward to reading them.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry again for the long wait. Life has kept me pretty busy. That and my computer has been giving me a hard time lately. But I'm back now with a new chapter. Thanks To theblindwriter95, who wrote an incredible Ambfia fic, has inspired me to write more. And now I'm seeing all the great Ambfia stories out there and realized that I had been keeping you guys waiting too long. So here is a new chapter for you guys. I hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 9

The trio of Royals soon landed at the gates of Royal Prep. During the ride, Amber had been doing nothing else but thinking about her feelings for Sofia. She had just heard Sofia confess to having feeling for her and part of her was happy about it. But the rest of her was terrified. Amber didn't want anyone to know about her having feelings for a princess, let alone her sister. The very thought of everyone rejecting her and abandoning her was terrifying. It wasn't heard of for a princess to have feelings for another princess. Some countries have even banned same sex couples for marrying. A few even went as far as arresting them. What would other kingdoms say if a princess was a lesbian. Granted she still found men attractive. But her feelings weren't towards a man, and that was scaring her. Amber looked over at Sofia, who looked like her usual joyful self as she stared straight ahead, and wondered how she could be so calm despite what's at stake if their secret ever got out.

But then again, rarely anything bothered Sofia. She was the calmest and bravest person Amber had ever known. Sofia never let her fears get the better of her and powered on ahead, even when others stayed behind. If she knew something was wrong, she wasn't afraid to speak up about it. But even when there were times when she would be afraid, she never let it show. The only times she was ever truly afraid is when someone else was in danger, and she would do anything she could to help. That's what made Sofia such an incredible person. These thoughts made Amber smile as she continued to stare at Sofia.

But the more Amber stared at Sofia, the more she noticed how beautiful she was. She began to notice how well Sofia's figure had developed over the years. How well placed the curves of Sofia's waist were. Her skin so perfect that she didn't need to wear make-up. Amber even took notice of how perky Sofia's breasts were and found herself staring at them for a few moments longer than she intended. But her thoughts were cut short as the carriage came to a stop at the Royal Prep gates. Realizing what she had just been doing, Amber looked away with a bright red face.

James was the first to exit the carriage, leaving both Sofia and Amber behind. Sofia stood up as well and was about to leave the carriage when she looked back and noticed that Amber was still sitting. Sofia looked concerned, worried that Amber was afraid to enter the school because of recent events. So to try to ease her mind, Sofia extended her right hand to Amber. Amber noticed the action and turned to look at Sofia to see that she was extending her hand to her. Amber looked at the hand then up at Sofia, who was smiling warmly at her. This caused Amber to smile back and take Sofia's hand in her own. Sofia smiled even more and lead the way of the carriage and towards the school gates. There they met up with James, Zandar, Hugo, Hildagard, Clio and Vivian. Upon seeing Sofia, they all ran over to her with excitement.

"Hey Sofia," Zandar said. "James just told us about you're anniversary Ball. Are we allowed to come?" Sofia couldn't help but giggle at Zandar's excitement.

"Of course you all can," she said. "Everyone is invited.

"Oh I can't wait to try on my newest gown," said Hildagard. "It'll be the best at the ball."

"Will there be music and dancing?" Clio asked. Sofia nodded.

"Of course."

"What about food?" Zandar asked. "Will there be lots of food?" Sofia giggled once more as Amber rolled her shook her head.

"You and James are too much alike," she said. James and Zandar gave each other a high five before placing an arm around the others shoulder.

"Can't beat quality," they said in unison, causing everyone, except Amber, who just rolled her eyes once more, to laugh. After Everyone calmed down from laughing, Sofia felt a small tap on her left shoulder and turned to see Vivian standing by shyly.

"Sofia," Vivian said quietly. "Are you doing okay?" Sofia looked questioningly at her friend.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Vivian twiddled her fingers nervously.

"I mean," she began, "are you doing okay after your race? After what happened." Sofia put the pieces together and realized what Vivian was talking about. She smiled as she took one of Vivian's hand in her right. This caused Vivian to look up at Sofia's warm smile.

"I'm perfectly fine now Vivian. Everything is okay now." Vivian smiled back at Sofia as a small tear began to form in her eye. Fortunately she was able to blink it away before anyone noticed.

"I'm sorry," she said. "But I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you." Sofia was touched by what Vivian had said that she let go of Amber's hand, which she had been holding this whole time, to hug Vivian tightly, much to Amber's dismay. Sofia held onto Vivian a few moments longer before pulling back to look her in the eyes, taking her hands in her own.

"Vivian," Sofia began, "I'm really thankful that you care for me so much. But you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine." Vivian's smile widened as she nodded her head.

"I know," she said. "But I just can't help it sometimes. You were my first friend after all." Sofia's smile widened as she squeezed Vivian's hand in a comforting manner. In that moment, the school bell suddenly rang, signalling for classes to start.

"Come on Zandar!" James shouted as he ran towards the school. "Race you to class!"

"You're on!" Zandar shouted as he ran off to catch up with James, leaving the other Royals behind as they made their way towards the entrance of the school. But as everyone made their way towards the school, Amber lingered behind and everyone else went on ahead. Amber watched on as Sofia and Vivian walked together, still holding hands. This made Amber glare at Vivian for some reason. Was it jealousy? Amber didn't know, but she didn't like it. And even worst, Sofia and Vivian had first class together, and she wasn't in their class.

_This is most certainly going to be a long week._

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Sofia and Vivian had separated from the rest of their friends, due to having different classes, and were walking in the halls towards their first class. Sofia had hardly noticed that they had left the others, she was just having such a good time with Vivian. She even hardly noticed Amber trying to say goodbye to her before she went on her way. Sofia was just so touched by what Vivian had said that she suddenly wanted to spend more time with her. Sofia had never realized how much Vivian cared for her. It made her feel good. But there was something bothering her, something that she had forgot about. However, she had no time to think on it as her thoughts were unpleasantly interrupted.

"Hello Sofia," said an unwelcoming voice as he stepped in front of Sofia and Vivian. Sofia glared up at the new arrival.

"Hello Marcus," she said plainly. Marcus gave a slight bow of his head to both ladies. Vivian, however, hid behind Sofia.

"I never got the chance to congratulate you on your winning of the Derby race." His voice sounded as if he was almost sincere about it. But Sofia wasn't buying it in the slightest. But, nevertheless, she curtsied to Marcus.

"Thank you very much, Marcus," she said enthusiastically before standing straight. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have class to attend to." Marcus nodded, though inwardly he glared at Sofia.

"Of course," Marcus said as he stepped aside. "And again, congratulations of your race. I look forward to the championship race."

"Thank you," Sofia said as she walked passed Marcus without giving him a second glance, with Vivian following close behind. Marcus watched as the two princesses made their way towards their classroom, smiling all the while. As soon as they had rounded a corner out of sight, Marcus' smile slowly turned into a hateful glare.

"One of these days princess," he said quietly, yet hatefully. "One of these days."

When Sofia and Vivian had rounded to corner, Sofia couldn't be more happy than to be away from Marcus. Vivian couldn't help but look back, as if Marcus would suddenly be standing behind them once again, before looking back at Sofia.

"He really gives me the creeps," she said. "I don't know how you deal with it." Sofia could only shrug.

"You get use to it after a while," Sofia said flatly. She didn't much care for a conversation about Marcus. Vivian looked down at the floor as they continued to walk.

"I don't know," she said. "He makes me very nervous. And he always has that look to him. Like he's going to bad or something." Sofia rolled her eyes as she smiled at her friend.

"I don't think he's that bad," she said. "I mean, I'm not too fond of him myself. But I don't think that he'd actually do something bad to anyone." Vivian looked at Sofia for a moment before looking back at the floor.

"If you say so." Sofia smiled at her shy friend before they finally made it to their classroom, where Mistress Flora was about to start the class.

"Good morning students," Mistress Flora said joyfully.

"Good morning Mistress Flora," the class said in unison, just as Sofia and Vivian had taken their seats next to one another and waited for Mistress flora to continue

"Now class, today we will be learn about courtship." There were many groans heard throughout the classroom. Not many students were happy to hear that. But none were more troubled by this than Sofia. No doubt that this lesson was going to be about courtship between a man and a women, half of which she had no interest in.

"Now, now Class," Mistress Flora said. " I know full well that many of you have no interested in this subject. But i'm afraid that it has to be taught. You are all at that age where you'll soon be engaged and unifying kingdoms. To bring joy and prosper to your kingdoms and to..."

Sofia was not at all anxious to hear this. She wasn't interested in marrying a prince at all. The very idea didn't sit right with her. Sofia leaned her head on her arms as Mistress Flora continued to rant on about the importance of courtship and marriage. Soon Sofia lost all interest in hearing the Fairy teacher's voice and began to let her mind wonder. She began to think of what it would be like to marry. To have the entire church pact with the people you love. To have a beautiful gown and to walk down the isle towards the person you love most. It must be nice to have that. Then she began to think about what her wedding will be like. Part of her smiled as she thought of that. To have all those things and to have the person she loved most standing at the end of the isle: Amber. She began to think of what Amber would be wearing if they were ever to get married. Would she be wearing a gown as well or wearing a suit like a prince. Sofia chuckled slightly at the thought of Amber wearing a suit. Then a thought struck her mind. She didn't remember seeing Amber off this morning before they went to their own classrooms. Then her eyes widened as realization hit her like a bag of bricks.

She had just ditch Amber.

Realizing this, Sofia groaned and placed her face inside her arms. She felt so miserable in that moment. She had just ditched the girl of her dreams. How she did it, she didn't know. But she just felt horrible. Sofia felt so bad about it that she almost didn't hear mistress Flora speaking her name.

"Princess Sofia?" Sofia sat straight up in her seat at the mention of her name. "Are you alright dear? You're don't seem like yourself." Sofia did her best to pull off a genuine smile.

"Yes Mistress Flora," she said nervously. "I'm just not feeling well, is all." The good fairy looked concernedly at the young princess.

"Do you need to go see the school nurse?" Sofia shook her head.

"No Mistress Flora. I think I can manage." Mistress Flora still had a concerned look on her face, but nodded her head nonetheless.

"Alright then," she said. "But please pay attention. Your future may depend on this lesson.

_Oh, lets hope not, _Sofia thought to her self. She was just hoping that Amber was having a better time than she was.

* * *

Amber wasn't having much of a good time herself. Amber sat at her desk as she tried to listen to Mistress Merryweather give a lesson on kingdom finances. But her thoughts weren't focused on the lesson. Her thought were on Sofia. Amber was a little hurt that Sofia had just left her like that. She didn't even acknowledge her when Amber was trying to say goodbye to her. Sofia just kept on walking with Vivian hand-in-hand. Also, seeing Sofia holding Vivian's hand like that. It was almost like there was something going on between them. But Amber tried to shake that thought away. She and Sofia had just had a discussion about their feelings that morning. Sofia had told Amber that she had feeling for her. But that didn't mean that Sofia couldn't harbor feelings for another. Amber once again shook her head of these thoughts. She still didn't know where her feelings stood for Sofia. She was hoping to find out throughout the week and determine her feelings by the time the Ball had started. But so far, this was turning out to be a very rough start.

"Amber?" a voice said to next to Amber, breaking her train of thought. Amber turned to her left to see Clio looking at her with concern. Amber smiled at her friend.

"Yes Clio?" she said with pleasant tone. Clio, however, was still looking concerned at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You've been frowning at you desk for a few minutes now. Is something wrong?" Amber did her best to giver her her best smile.

"Oh I'm perfectly fine Clio," Amber said, a little too cheerfully. "I couldn't be better." Clio raised her eyebrow as she gave Amber a look, obviously not buying it.

"Amber, I've known you for years now. I know when something is bothering you. You're not very good at hiding it." Amber looked from side to side, as if trying to find some way out of this in her surroundings.

"I don't know what you mean." Clio leaned in a little closer to Amber.

"Then why wont you look me in the eye?" Amber could feel the sweat forming on her forehead. She rattled through her mind to try to figure out an excuse to give her. Then an idea struck in her brain.

"I-I'm just nervous about the Ball is all." she said finally. Clio gave Amber another look

"The Ball?" she said flatly. Amber nodded.

"That's right. I'm just not sure what I'm going to be wearing is all. I don't want to embarrass Sofia on one of big days." Amber calmed down a bit, thinking that this would be a pretty good excuse. However, Clio raised an eyebrow once more, still not buying it. She stared at Amber for a few moments longer, which was starting to make Amber nervous once more. Finally, Clio leaned back away from Amber.

"You're not a very good liar Amber," Clio said, then her face softened, almost as if she was sad. "But I wont press the matter any more. If you want to tell me what's really bothering you, then I'll be here whenever you're ready." Amber stared at Clio for few moments. Clio really did care for her, enough to try to figure out what was bothering her. She had really matured over the years from being a follower of Hildagard's to being her own person. Amber was almost tempted to tell her what was going on until a stern voice stopped her.

"Is there a problem here girls?" Mistress Merryweather asked sternly, looking at both Clio and Amber. Both girls sat straight in their seats.

"No Mistress Merryweather," they said in unison. Mistress Merryweather continued to look at the both of them before crossing her arms.

"i should hope not. Now please pay attention. This is important if you want to keep your kingdoms from going bankrupt."

"Yes Mistress Merryweather," Clio and Amber said. The blue fairy nodded her head before turning around and floated back to the front of the class to continue the lesson. Both girls sat quietly and listened to what Mistress Merryweather was saying, or at least one of them was. Amber still had a lot on her mind. With everything that was going on, maybe it would be good to talk to a friend. Sure she could always talk to Baileywick, like she did the other day. But sometimes its good to get another girls opinion on the matter, without revealing too much. So Amber finally came to a decision. Amber took out a piece of paper and began to write down a few word.

Clio was listening in on what Mistress Merryweather was ranting on about when she suddenly felt a light tap on her right shoulder. She turned to see what Amber wanted but saw the Amber was staring straight forward. Clio raised an eyebrow and was about to ask Amber what she wanted when she noticed a small piece of folded up paper right next to her. Clio looked forward at Mistress Merryweather, who had her back turned as she wrote something on the blackboard, before quickly taking the folded paper and carefully opened it up so as not to make any noise to attract unwanted attention and read what was on it.

_"_**_You're right. Something else is bothering me. But I can't tell you about it now so please be patient with me. When the time is right I will tell you._**_"_

Clio smiled when she finished reading the note. Amber was willing to trust her with something that was obviously a big deal to her. She looked over at Amber, who was staring up towards the front of the class, before taking out a pen and wrote down a reply. Amber had been waiting patiently for Clio to finish reading.

_"_**_Of course Amber. Whenever you are ready to talk, I'll be here._**_"_

Amber felt a bit of weight lift off her shoulders. She looked up at Clio to see her giving a warm smile. Amber couldn't help but smile back before looking back towards the front of the class. There was still a lot of thinking to do before the Ball. But for now, she was just glad to have a friend that was there for her. It almost made her feel better about this morning. Almost. Amber knew that in a couple hours, she would be seeing Sofia for lunch. She wasn't sure if she was going to be looking forward that that or not. Only time will tell. All she knew was that things were not coming to a good start.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm not sure how I feel about it so your opinion is very much appritiated. And again, I'm very sorry about the long wait. I will try to update sooner. But I must ask you guys to be patient with me. Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. And hopefully I'll see you all again soon.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed last chapter. Here's another for you to enjoy.**

Chapter 10

Inside the Royal Prep gymnasium several of the school princes were practicing their fencing skills. They were pared off in two's as their teacher watched over them. it was a skill that many princes had to learn in order to defend themselves should the need ever occur. Even princesses were required to learn this art. It was one of the many styles of fighting that they had to learn, but it was also a sport that many enjoyed watching, hence the crowd of princesses gathered on the other side of the gym. Everyone was having fun as wall as learning new techniques. However, one certain prince wasn't practicing for fun. He was practicing to be the best fighter ever, as was his goal when he became King. He also wasn't facing just one opponent, he was facing three.

Marcus stood at the ready and waited for his opponents to make the first move. He got what he wanted when the one on the right attacked first with a thrust of his practice sword. Marcus easily parried the attack away just as another opponent cam at him from left. Again, Marcus was able to parry once more and thrust his sword into his opponents chest, thus gaining a point. Then his third opponent came at him with a barrage of attacks, hoping to land at least one hit. Unfortunately for him, Marcus was able to block every technique that was thrown at him.

However, Marcus never lost sight of his first opponent as he tried to attack from behind. At the last second, Marcus maneuvered out of the way, causing both of his opponents to collide with one another. Marcus smiled as his opponents groaned in pain while trying to stand up. Once they did, they launched a simultaneous attack hoping to catch Marcus off guard. Unfortunately Marcus was able to block, parry and reverse any attack they could come up with. Then of the final block, Marcus angled his word so that he had both of his opponents' swords pressed against his. He then pushed them off, causing them to lose balance, before slashing at both of their chests before the fell to the floor, thus scoring two more points and defeating all three opponents. Feeling victorious, Marcus stood straight as if that session took almost no effort. The crowd of princesses ran over and gathered around Marcus, staring up at him in awe.

"Wow Marcus," said one of the princesses. "That was incredible. As usual"

"Yeah," said another. "That was the fifth time today that you've won. You're amazing." Marcus took in the praise and relished in it.

"Thank you very much my dears," he said in a smooth tone. "I'm very glad you enjoyed the show. It's very pleasant to know that I can keep such lovely ladies her entertained." The princesses all giggled adoringly at his charming words as they continued to praise and admire Marcus. On the other side of the gym, however, were two princes who looked on at the crowd with disdain. James shook his head before turning to Zandar to continue fencing.

"What the heck to those girls see in him?" James said as he thrust towards Zandar's chest. Zandar parried the attack and countered with a thrust of his own.

"Who knows?" he replied. "Probably becasue he's from a powerful kingdom. Most princess only care for that." James and Zandar continue to clash their swords together.

"But he's nothing more than a Jerk," James said with hate in his tone. "All he's ever done since he's been here was try hurt people that get in his way. I mean, why would anyone fall for a guy like that?!" James had swung his sword Zarndar's shoulder, causing the Arab prince to step back and nearly losing balance. Zandar regain his footing and went back on the offensive.

"Probably because they see it as a way to get to the top," Zandar said. "That what usually happens. If someone is in a high place, others will use him to make themselves better as well. But look at it this way, we have something that Marcus most likely will never have." James raised an eyebrow.

"What's that?" he asked. The little distraction was just enough for Zandar to catch James off guard and land a blow to his chest, scoring a point. Zandar gave James a sly grin.

"True friends," he answered. James looked down at his chest to Zandar and back again.

"Hey! You cheated!" James said, even though there was a smile on his face. Zandar only shrugged and he stood there looking victorious.

"It's called strategy," he said in a smug, yet joking manner. "Don't get so distracted next time." James grinned at his best friend before taking another stance.

"Best 5 out of 7?" Zandar grinned before taking the same stance.

"You're on."

Marcus was enjoying the attention he was receiving. Then Marcus's three opponents walked over to the through the crowd and stood next to Marcus before taking off their masks. One of them was a dirty blonde haired princes with a small mustache growing in who stood at around 5'9''. Another revealed to be a Prince with shoulder length red hair and a scar on his chin that stood at the same height as the other. The final one was a black hair prince who stood a couple inches shorter than the other two. Marcus nodded to them before turning back to the princesses.

"Please excuse me ladies," he said charmingly. "I have some things to attend to."

"Awe," the princesses said disappointment as Marcus made his way through the crowd and out of the gym with his three companions. Once they were outside the gym, they made their way towards an empty classroom, where Marcus shut the doors to prevent anyone from hearing them.

"Is everything going according to plan?" Marcus asked while keeping his backed to them.

"Almost," said the prince with dirty blonde hair. "Three out of the four princes we need have agreed to our terms."

"Very good Jeremy," Marcus said. "And who is the last prince we need?"

"Prince Zandar," said the prince with red hair. Marcus frowned at this. He knew that Zandar was best friends with James, so convincing him to join was not going to be easy.

"Why do we need him anyway?" asked the black haired prince. "Couldn't the plan work with just the seven kingdoms we have? His lands are really nothing but desert anyway." Marcus looked at the shorter prince with narrowed eye, causing him to step back a little in intimidation.

"Because Harold," Marcus said deeply, and intimidatingly, "Zandar's land's may be desert, but they are rich with minerals underneath it. And if her joins us, it will also be a good way to get back at James." Harold bowed his head as he took another step back.

"But I don't see why he would join us if that's the case Marcus," said the red haired prince. Marcus turned his attention to him.

"I have a plan or two to get him to join us, Alexander," he said as a wicked grin formed on his face. "He'll either join us willingly, or we'll just have to force him to join." Jeremy, Antonius and Alexander all grin the same as he did at the thought. Marcus then turned and made his way towards the chalkboard. He then took a piece of chalk and began to draw something on the board, along with writing some names as well. Once he was finished, he put down the chalk and turned to his companions with a sly grin.

"These eight of our kingdoms border one another," Marcus stated as he pointed to the drawing on the board, which was a map of all the eight kingdoms, including Tangu. "We already have seven. That should be enough to get us started. All we need is to get Zandar to join our cause and we'll be set."

"And if he refuses to join us?" Alexander asked. Marcus smiled as he turned to the board again, picking up the chalk.

"Then we invade," he said as he drew a line through Tangu. Marcus then returned his attention to the other three princes. "Then we'll have his kingdom anyway. And once that is complete, We'll finally have the resources to build our glorious empire."

"With you as the Emperor," Harold said. "And we'll be members of your counsel."

"We still get to have control over our original kingdoms right?" Jeremy asked with his arms crossed. Marcus rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Of course. You all will still be in charge of your lands. But I will be the one you all answer to. You'll all just be my client states."

"I think that sounds cool," Harold said happily. Jeremy rolled his eyes at the smaller prince.

"You think rabbits eating tofu sounds cool," he said. Harold glared at Jeremy and was about to retort when Marcus spoke out.

"That's enough," he said sternly. "This isn't the case right now. We need to get Zandar to join us. And once he does, we'll be one step close to conquering the world." Marcus exclaimed before turning towards the window of the classroom. "And once I'm Emperor, I'll have the choice to choose any bride I see fit."

"And who do you see fit as your bride?" Jeremy asked. Marcus didn't answer him right away as he stepped closer to the window to look up at the sky. He then smiled wickedly at the thought of taking her as his bride, by force even.

"Sofia of Enchancia."

* * *

The Lunch bell finally rang and Sofia couldn't wait to get out. She had been waiting for hours for the lunch bell to ring so she could fine Amber and apologies. Sofia had been spending all morning trying to come up with a way to apologies to her. But no matter what she came up with, none of the seemed good enough. She was so focused on this that she barely paid attention in her classes. But now that lunch had finally started, Sofia was a bit anxious about finding Amber, fearing that she would be angry with her. But hopefully she can fix it somehow. She looked throughout the hallways in the hope of finder even a trace of her blonde haired beauty. But so far she hadn't found her. Sofia then found herself at the Royal Prep Cafeteria and suddenly her stomach dropped. Sofia couldn't find Amber anywhere so this had to be the place where she was. All her confidence suddenly went away, fearing that once she found Amber, she wouldn't be able to talk to her. But then she shook these thought away. She was determined to fix this. Sofia placed her hands on the lunchroom doors and took a deep breath. She just hoped that Amber wouldn't be to mad at her to not talk to her.

Sofia burst through the lunchroom doors and searched throughout the room. It took her a moment, but she finally caught a trace of blonde hair and recognized it as Amber's. Amber, who was sitting next to Clio and Hildegard, was sitting with her back to Sofia. Seeing Amber made Sofia nearly forget her fears as she ran over to her. Seeing Amber always made Sofia happy no matter how she was feeling previously.

"Amber!" Sofia called out. The blonde haired princess turned around in her seat at the mention of her name. Upon seeing Sofia, Amber narrowed her eyes and quickly tuned back around to continue eating her lunch. Sofia's smile immediately fell as she slowed to walk. Her heart nearly broke into two upon seeing Amber turn her back to her. But nevertheless, Sofia continued to make her way towards her step sister until she was right next to her.

"Hey Amber," Sofia said nervously.

"Hello Sofia," Amber said flatly. Sofia face fell even more as she took a seat next to Amber.

"Amber can I talk to you?" she asked. Amber still refused to look at her as she took a bit of her food.

"I don't know," she said. "Do you have the time?" Sofia felt a pain in her heart once more, not just because Amber was acting like this, but mostly because she had her Amber.

"Amber," Sofia pleaded. "Please." Clio looked between the two princesses and felt a bit awkward. This was obviously something between the two and Hildegard and her had no part or place in it.

"I think we're gonna go," she said as she took Hildegard's arm and began to drag her away.

"Wait, what?" Hildegard said as Clio finally got her out of her seat and pulled her away, leaving Sofia and Amber in an uncomfortable silence. Amber continued to eat her food, still not giving Sofia even a glance. Sofia knew that Amber was her but didn't know how to fix it. But Sofia wasn't about to give up as she took in a deep breath, trying to build her confidence.

"Amber," she began. "I'm so sorry for I did." Amber, for the first time since Sofia had arrived, opened one eye to glance at Sofia before closing it once more and took another bit of her food.

"Did What?" Amber asked, playing dumb.

"For ditching you like that. I don't know why I did it. But I did and there is no excuse for that."

"Then Why did you just leave me?" Amber asked. "You didn't even say goodbye to me, even when I tried to say it to you. You just completely ignored me." Amber's voice rose a little with every word, but not enough to cause a scene and bring everyone's attention. Sofia could tell that Amber was hurt. She didn't even know that Amber was trying to bid her farewell, which made her feel even worse. She wished she had an answer for Amber, but she just didn't.

"I don't know why," Sofia admitted. "I guess I was just touched by what Vivian had said to me this morning that I didn't think of anything else." Amber rolled her eyes as she let out a scoff.

"Is that suppose to make me feel better?" she asked. "Sofia shook her head.

"No," she answered. "But I just didn't know how much I meant to Vivian and I wanted to make her feel better. Believe me Amber, I wanted to spend as much time with you before we had to go to class. I really did and I ended up leaving you for someone else and completely ignored you when I should have brought you along. It was a horrible thing to do and I'm so sorry. Here we were this morning, having a good time together and I do something horrible to you. I'm so sorry Amber. I'm sorry." Tears were starting to form in Sofia's eyes as she let out a tiny sob. She then covered her face as more sobs followed. Amber looked at Sofia and felt horrible. Now _she _felt like the monster here for bringing Sofia to the point of crying. Amber couldn't help herself as she wrapped her arms around Sofia and brought her in close. Sofia welcomed the embrace as she leaned into Amber and sobbed into her shoulder. Amber then began to rubbed up and down Sofia's back to try to calm her down.

"Hey," she said gently. "It's okay. It's okay." Sofia let out another sob, causing Amber's heart to hurt even more.

"I'm sorry Sofia. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you."

"Yes you should have," Sofia mumbled in Amber's shoulder. "I would have gotten upset if someone had ditched me like that."

"No you wouldn't," Amber said with a chuckle.

"Yes I would," Sofia repeated, this time without the sob. This caused Amber to giggle once more.

"Sofia, you're too kind for that. You could never be angry with someone for long." Sofia pulled away from Amber a bit and gave her a pouting face, which Amber found too adorable.

"Are you saying I'm a push over?" she asked sternly, though the effect was lost due to Sofia pouting. Amber giggled as she shook her head.

"No, not at all," she said. "I'm just saying you're kindhearted. You think of other before yourself. That's what makes you a wonderful person." Sofia couldn't help but blush when Amber called her wonderful. Sofia turned her face away to try to hide her redness from Amber, but had a smile on her face nonetheless. Amber smiled as well, seeing as she got the brunette princess to blush. After a few moments, Sofia turned back to Amber, a blush still present on her face.

"So does this mean you forgive me?" she asked. Of course Amber forgave her, but she didn't want to give in so soon. She pulled away from Sofia, though she still had a hand on Sofia's waist, and looked in the opposite direction.

"I don't know," Amber said. "You did leave me for Vivian. I'm starting to think you have a thing for her." Sofia thought for a second on what Amber had just said and a sly grin formed on her face.

_So she was jealous that I was spending more time with Vivian instead of her,_ Sofia thought to herself. She thought of a way to make this fun for her and an idea struck.

"Well can you blame me?" Sofia said. "She has a really nice voice that I just love listening to. She also has a really nice figure as well. Her hair is so shiny and smooth that i just love combing my fingers through it. And her eyes are just the most beautiful shade of green that just make you get lost in them." Sofia looked over at Amber and almost burst out laughing. Amber had let go of Sofia's waist and was now crossing her arms. And even though Sofia couldn't see her face, she knew that Amber was red in the face. Sofia tried her best to keep herself from laughing at Amber's reaction and decided to keep it going.

"And her hands are just so soft that I could just hold on to them forever. She really knows how to make a girl weak in the knees." Sofia could see Amber stiffen up a bit more after hearing that last bit.

"Well," Amber said. "I see where this is going. I better go before your precious princess finds you here with me." Amber had had enough of hearing Sofia drag on about how beautiful Vivian was. In fact, she was pretty much sick of Vivian already and wanted nothing more to do with hearing about her. Amber was about to stand up when she felt Sofia grab hold of her hand.

"Amber," Sofia said in a pleading voice. Amber sighed before looking back at Sofia, then she gasped.

_Oh, no, _she thought. _Not that!_

When Amber looked back at Sofia, she looked back to see Sofia giving her the most adorable puppy pout. Her eyes were big and watery like she was about to cry as her bottom lip was poked out and was beginning to quiver. It was a look that was too much for Amber. She tried to look away but couldn't as her heart melted away at the sight. Finally, Amber was able to look away as she balled up a fist to her chest.

"Okay! okay! I give!" She said. "Just please stop with the look! It torture!" Sofia giggled victoriously and wrapped her arms around Amber's neck in a tight. Amber couldn't help but giggle along as she returned the embrace. The two shared a enjoyable moment just as the lunch bell rang, signalling for lunch to be over. Sofia was the first to stand up and offer a hand to Amber. She and Amber had the remainder of their classes together so Sofia was really looking forward to the rest of the day.

"Shall we head over to class together?" she asked. Amber was feeling and odd sense of déjà vu but couldn't help but smile back up at Sofia before taking her hand.

"I think we shall,"she replied. With that, Sofia and Amber walked hand-in-hand together towards the next class. And in that moment, nothing could be better for the both of them.

* * *

**A/N: Wow! Updated so soon? That was quick. Hope you guys enjoyed this new chapter. And I hope you like the little puppy dog pout Sofia was giving Amber. If you guys know where that's from then you guys are awesome. Please leave a review and tell me your thought. And I hope to see you guys again soon.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm still alive. And I'm so sorry for the year long wait. I have a lot of things on my plate right now and wont be able to update like I used to. But I do promise all of you that I will not abandon this story. Now here is another chapter for you. I just got this done today.**

* * *

Chapter 11

Sofia and Amber walked towards their class hand-in-hand, both feeling much happier than before. Sofia was so glad that Amber had forgiven her for ditching her this morning. And Amber was glad that Sofia acknowledged it and apologized for her actions. Now that everything was right, they continued to walking with their hands entwined, not caring who saw. As they walked, Sofia looked over at Amber with a loving stare. She was really looking forward to hearing Amber's answer at the coming Ball. but a part of her was a little scared. What if Amber's answer wasn't the one she was hoping for? Sofia mentally shook her head of such thoughts. Right now she was going to enjoy the moments that she shared with Amber to the fullest, no matter what.

Sofia looked over at Amber once more. Amber was looking straight ahead down the hallway. Amber then felt eyes on her and turned her head to look at Sofia, who was gazing lovingly at her. Amber blush at Sofia's stare and looked away slightly. Sofia giggled at Amber's awkwardness as she found extremely adorable. She then decided to be a little bold and placed her head on Amber's shoulder. This action completely caught Amber off guard. Now Amber's face was as red as a tomato. She looked around to see if anyone was watching. Sure they were holding hands, but they had done that many times in the past. But Sofia resting her head on Amber's shoulders? That was something different.

Amber looked around at her fellow students. Right now no one was looked at them, something Amber was grateful for. She looked down at Sofia again to see that she had he eyes closed and was trusting Amber to lead the way. As Amber studied Sofia's features, her heart began to beat faster. Sofia really was beautiful. Her hair was perfect, her skin was flawless, and her eye, if they were open, were more beautiful than the rarest diamonds. But what Amber couldn't stop glancing at were Sofia's lips. Those red, soft lips that she had kissed the other night. A part of her wanted to lean down and kiss her once again. But she restrained herself as she continued to stare.

Little did she know that Sofia had opened one eye to stare up at her and caught Amber staring at her lips. Sofia smiled slightly and a slight blush began to form on her face. She loved it when Amber stared at her. It made her feel giddy to know that Amber did harbor some feelings for her. She then opened her eyes fully to look up at Amber, which Amber seemed to notices. They just stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Then Amber noticed that Sofia's face seemed to be getting closer. Amber wasn't sure if it was her moving or Sofia, and to be honest she didn't care. She noticed that Sofia and slowly shut her eyes and puckered her lips slightly. Those same lips that Amber couldn't stop staring at. Amber soon founder herself leaning in as she too slowly closed her eyes. They were no more than an inch away from one another, feeling the breath of the other upon their skin. Just one centimeter closer and...

"Girls?" said a voice. Both Sofia and Amber jumped at the sudden voice, realizing that it was right behind them. They turned around to see that Mistress Fauna was right outside the door to their classroom.

"Are you to going somewhere?" She asked. "You both just walked right pass the Classroom." Sofia and Amber immediately pulled away from each other, faces red from embarrassment.

"Uh, yes Mistress Fauna," Sofia said, still red as a lobster. "We just lost track where we were going." Miss Fauna looked concerned at them.

"Alright dears," she said, "but please come inside. You're both late for today's lesson." The two princesses curtsied.

"Yes, Miss Fauna," Amber and Sofia said in unison as them made their way inside the classroom. They Both took their seats on opposite side of the room, much to Sofia's dismay. it was a large class with over a dozen Princes and Princesses. It was a good thing that Sofia had a few of her friends that she recognized in there. Amber took her seat between Clio and Hildegard while Sofia took her seat next to Vivian. As soon as she sat down, Sofia leaned her head on her hands in disappointment. She was so ready for another kiss with Amber, but that was ruined because of school. She let out a sigh as she drew he attention to the front of the class. Amber, for her part, was glad that they had been interrupted. She wouldn't know what to do if Sofia and her had been caught kissing in the hallway. She was sure that if any of her friends saw them, then her life would be over. Many of her friends weren't very open minded about these things. But she was just glad that never happened. Amber sat up straight to listen to Mistress Fauna begin the lesson.

"Okay class," Mistress Fauna said. "Today, we will be learning about the History of Atlantis. Can anyone tell me what they know about Atlantis?" A hand rose in the air.

"Yes Princess Amber," Mistress Fauna called. Sofia's head perked up and she turned her heard to see Amber standing up.

"Atlantis was once a kingdom on an island in the Atlantean Sea that existed thousands of years ago. It was said that their empire stretched across the larger continent of Panigos and half of the smaller continent of Amernis. Some say that they had the largest empire in all of history. " Amber then looked over at her friends with a sly look. "And they had the most_ fabulous_ jewelry too." The classroom erupted into laughter at Amber's remark.

"That's right Amber," Mistress Fauna said proudly. "And can you tell me what happened to them?"Amber nodded, getting serious again.

"According to the Scholar Plato, at the height of their empire, a terrible earthquake cause a massive wave to wash away the Atlantean Capital. With no form of Leadership, the empire soon fell due to rebellions and civil wars." MistressFauna nodded.

"And who was the last ruler of Atlantis?"Amber thought for a moment.

"Queen Kidakagash," Amber answered. "She inherited the throne at the age of eighteen after her father died of illness."

"Very good Princess Amber," Mistress Fauna said as Amber took her seat once more. She then began to giggle with Clio and Hildegard about who knows what. Unbeknownst to her that Sofia had been staring dreamily at her the entire time she spoke, listening to every word she said. Mistress Fauna turned towards the chalk board. She took up a piece of chalk and, using her magic, began to draw a picture of an island. "Now as Amber had said, Atlantis was an empire that existed thousands of years ago. Plato states that they were the most technologically advanced kingdom of that time. Some may even say that they were the first civilization to ever exist."

"But how would anyone know that?" Princess Hildegard asked. Miss Fauna looked back at the class.

"No one knows for certain," she replied. "But much of their culture still exists to this day. Ancient ruins from their time still exist today in many areas of the world. Many kingdoms today based their own culture on the Atlanteans. And yes, even their jewelry." Fauna looked back at the class as they erupted into laughter once more. Miss Fauna cleared her throat and turned to the chalkboard once again.

"Now, as Amber has stated, the City of Atlantis was destroyed by a massive wave that swallowed the entire Island."

"But Miss Fauna," said Prince Jun, "if the Island was swallowed whole, why is it here today?" Miss Fauna smiled.

"An excellent question!" She returned her attention back to the board. "The earth quake was indeed terrible, but it wasn't enough to actually cause the Island to sink forever. After many centuries, the oceans receded from the shores and the Island was once again reborn. But all life that once roamed its great shores were washed away forever. The only remaining proof we have of their legacy is the ruins of the ancient city that was once the Capital of its great empire."

But why hasn't another kingdom formed on that Island?" asked Prince Khalid asked. "There's plenty of life on it now."

"That because the island has been made a reserve for what life remains on it. As a way of honoring the Ancient empire that made our world what it is today." Miss Fauna turned away from the board and flew to her desk and used her magic to summon a large pile of text books.

"Here are the text books you will be using for the following lessons." She used her magic to pass out the books to each student in her class. As the students looked at the textbooks, one of the students raised their hand.

"Muss Fauna," Prince Desmond spoke. "Why are we learning about Atlantis?" Miss Fauna smiled once again.

"Another excellent question," she said. "We will be learning about the Kings and Queens that ruled over the Atlantean Empire. Hopefully their reigns with inspire all of you in how you rule your kingdoms one day. Now if you open up to page 1, we will begin with the foundation of Atlantis." Miss Fauna opened up her own book to the page she mentions and began to read.

"Atlantis wasn't always the great city that it was known for. It was a collection of tribes that once fought against each other for control of the Island. But soon they joined forces and formed a confederation into the great City of Atlantis." Sofia wasn't really interested in the lesson, which was quite unlike her. Normally she would listen to any lesson that was being taught. But now she had other things on her mind, or someone.

_Being in love is really distracting,_ she thought to herself with a giggle. She didn't care though, she was in love and that made her feel happy. She looked down at her book as she began to flip through the pages uninterested. Her mind was blank as she flipped through the pages, her mind only on Amber. That is, until she landed on a page that caught her interest. It had a picture of a statue of two women holding hand and looking directly at each other. Sofia quickly looked at the bottom of the page to see the page number. She then raised her hand.

"Miss Fauna," she called. Said fairy stopped reading and looked up at Sofia.

"Yes, dear?" she asked. Sofia looked down at the page and pointed.

"Who are these two women on page 223?" she asked. Miss Fauna smiled at Sofia.

"Reading ahead Sofia? You must be very excited for this lesson." Sofia blushed and smiled nervously.

"Yeah, that's it," she lied. Mistress Fauna flipped to the page that Sofia had mention, smiling as she did so. But as soon as she, her smile fell.

"Oh, uh," She stuttered. "Well, That's Queen Kidarkadash, great-grandmother the Queen Kidagakash." Sofia noticed the hesitation in Miss Fauna's voice.

"Who was she?" Sofia asked interested. Mistress Fauna looked around the class nervously as she noticed they all of them were interested.

"Well," she hesitated. She thought for a moment before she found her voice. "She was one of the greatest rulers of Atlantis. She personally lead the invasion of Amernis and conquered a great amount of land for the empire. She was also the one who establish a system where all her people were happy and lived prosperous."

"And who is that next to her?" Amber asked. Sofia looked over at Amber, who seemed to be just as interested.

"Well," Mistress Fauna hesitated once again. "Her name was Kidalana, she was the adopted younger sister of Kidarkadash." Now Sofia was very interested in the subject.

"Adopted?" she asked. Fauna nodded.

"Yes. According to Plato, her family had a close relationship with the royal family. So when Kidalana was only a year old, her family died of a disease that had plagued the empire for a few years. When new of this reached the royal family that only one member survived, Princess Kidalana was adopted into the family."

"So why is she next to Queen Kidarkadash?" Princess Clio asked. Again, Fauna was hesitant.

"Because Queen Kidarkadash decided to share the throne with her sister and they ruled the Atlantean Empire together."

"That sounds wonderful," Princess Vivian said. "She must have loved her sister so much that she wanted to rule with her. They must have been very close."

"They were," Mistress Fauna said. "They were very close." Sofia thought that it was a lovely story. Two sisters that shared a bond so great that they wanted to rule together rather than one ruling alone. She looked over at Amber. Maybe if Amber was crown queen, then maybe she could be her queen as well. But she shook here head. James was most likely in line for the throne anyway. And Sofia ruling alongside Amber was just ridiculous. But it was a pleasant thought to have.

"But how did her husband feel about that?" Princess Maya asked. Mistress Fauna looked over at the Princess.

"What?" she asked.

"Her husband," Princess Maya said again. "How did Queen Kidarkadash's husband feel about them sharing the power?" Now Mistress Fauna was growing nervous.

"Oh, w-well," she began to stutter even more. "S-she didn't have a husband." The classroom looked confused.

"So she wasn't married?"asked Princess Hildegard. "She just ruled the whole Atlantean empire with her sister and had no heir? She had to have had a husband. That's just how things work." Sofia rolled her eyes at that.

"Not exactly," Mistress Fauna said sweating. "They did adopt young girl as their heir to the throne. That young girl then married a young man of a noble house, who then became the next ruler of Atlantis." Now the classroom was even more confused.

"So they two sisters adopted a young girl?" Prince Hugo asked.

"Well yes," Mistress Fauna explained. "She was an orphaned girl from the lower class, but Queen Kidalana found her on the streets and felt sorry for her. So she decided to take her in."

"And Queen Kidarkadash allowed this?" Prince Huge asked.

"She couldn't refuse her sister," Mistress Fauna said. "So she allowed the young child to become their heir to the throne."

"She really must have loved her," Sofia said. Mistress Fauna nodded.

"More than you know," she said softly, then, upon realizing what she had just said, she covered her mouth. Sofia caught on to this and pressed on.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Mistress looked around the room at the curious little princes and princesses. She then let out a sigh, the cat was out of the bag now.

"Well," she began, "Queen Kidarkadash and Queen Kidalana were more than just sisters." At this Sofia's heart, along with Amber's, began to race, wanting to know more about these two sisters.

"They were best friends?" Princess Vivian asked. Mistress fauna shook her head.

"More than that," she replied. She looked around the room once more.

"You see, they weren't just sisters or best friends." She paused in hesitated, causing the classroom leaned in. "They were lovers." There was a moment of silence.

"WHAT?!" the whole classroom shouted at once. They were not expecting to hear something like this, especially Sofia. As she listened to the story, she had been hoping deep down that that was the case. But never had she expected it to be true. And it gave her a bit of hope for her relationship with Amber. Amber was just as surprised by the news. Like Sofia, she too had a feeling that that was the case of the Two Queens. But to actually hear it was shocking. Her mind was completely frozen.

"Yes, Children," Mistress Fauna said. "It's true."

"So they were lesbians?!" Hildegard asked, completely in disbelief. Mistress Fauna nodded.

"That's disgusting!" Hildegard shouted. A few other princesses nodded their heads in agreement. Sofia hearts was crushed after hearing that. She lowered her head in disappointment as her heart filled with sadness. She had really been hoping that some of her friends would be open to such a possibility. That maybe she could come out to her friends and they would accept her. But maybe that wasn't meant to be. Amber was just as disappointed, she too had been hoping for her friends to be open minded. It certainly would have made her feel so much better about her situation. But now she was more afraid than ever before.

"How can you say that?" said another voice. Both Amber and Sofia looked up and turned their heads towards the voice who spoke. To her surprise it was Clio who spoke out, and she didn't look happy. Hildegard was surprised to see her best friend speak out like that.

"What?" she asked completely shocked. Clio narrowed her eyes further.

"How could you say that?"she repeated herself. "If that is what makes them happy, they who are we to question their love?" Hildegard regained her thoughts and narrowed her eyes at her.

"It isn't right for two women to be together," she retorted. "It isn't right."

"Says who?" Clio shot back. "Love isn't something that is chosen. Love effects us in all ways. If love can form between a man and a women, then why can't it bloom between two women? Or two men for that matter?!"

"That isn't how things work for royalty!" Hildegard said. "We princesses cannot court with other women. That's not how Kingdoms are work." Amber, starting to grow fed up with this argument, was about to speak out when another voice stepped in.

"You really shouldn't have such a closed mind Hildegard," Princess Vivian said in a stern voice. Everyone in the room was silent due to her outburst. Normally she was the quiet princes who never expressed any emotion other than shyness and happiness. Even Sofia was surprised to see this side of Vivian. But now everyone could see the anger in her face.

"Clio is right," she continued as she stood up to address, "Love isn't something we choose for ourselves. It's something that our hearts choose. Love is the most precious thing in our lives. And we have no right to tarnish it by saying that two women are not allowed to feel that love." She then looked down towards Sofia. "Love is what makes us beautiful." Sofia's heart nearly melted at Vivian's word. She always knew that Vivian was a romantic, but to hear those words come from her best friend was beyond comforting. it made her believe that she could be happy with who she was. Sofia was so overcome with happiness that she stood up and hugged her best friend.

Amber had also been happy to hear her friends stand up for the two Queens. It made her feel slightly better. But they were just two voices out of many throughout the school. But have two friends feel this way made her feel better and she was going to take it. She just hoped that someday Hildegard, and others, could be as open minded as they were.

"I'm afraid that Hildegard is right," Mistress Fauna. Everyone in the classroom looked back at the fairy. "I'm afraid that isn't how things work for Royals."

"But why?" Clio asked. Mistress Fauna frowned.

"It just isn't. It's true that love is the most beautiful magic in the world, but its not proper for young princes and princesses. Much of your roles depend on marriage to other kingdoms to form alliances and peace. It's just can't work that way. "Fauna lowered her head. "No matter what we believe."

"Well I think that Clio and Vivian are right," Prince Hugo shouted to the class. "This is a new age and a time for new thing. And love should be accepted everywhere."

"I seconded that!" shouted Prince Desmond.

"Same here!" shouted Princess Maya and Princess Jun. Many others in the class nodded their heads in agreement. Sofia would have cried tears of happiness at what she was witnessing. So many of her friends were defending her. Well, not her exactly, but people like her. It really warmed her heart to see this. Amber was pretty much the same way. She was now feeling so much better about herself.

"Well I think it's wrong," said one princess, who was then followed by others in the class. Soon the Whole classroom had erupted into a full argument on how love and marriage should be. Soon it went as far as some trying to shout over the other. Now the room was in completely filled with shouting and yelling. Sofia, in her heart was scare of this. What would happen if she came out now?

"That's enough Children!" Mistress Fauna shouted. The room immediately fell silent at Mistress Fauna's outburst. She seemed to be quite pleased with their actions. She let out a long sigh to calm herself down.

"I think that's enough for today class," she said in a flat tone. "You may all be excused." Just then the school bell rang, signalling the end of class. Everyone then began to pour out of the classroom. Some giving others harsh glares. Sofia was one of the first out of the classroom and was now outside along with Vivian to wait for their friends. After some students left, Amber was finally in sight, followed by Clio, Maya, Jun, Desmond and Hugo. After meeting up with each other, they began to make their way towards their next class. But before they did so, Clio looked back in search of Hildegard. After spotting her, she waved her over. Hildegard, however, glared at her before walking of in the opposite direction. Clio was frozen for a moment before looking at the floor heartbroken. Clio then felt a hand on her should and looked up to see Hugo smiling down on her. She smiled back and they soon caught up to their friends who were waiting for them.

"Can you Hildegard?" Hugo said annoyed. "Saying that two women can't fall in love. What a bigot!"

"I'm sure she had her reasons for saying what she did," Sofia said, trying to sound reasonable.

"Well she was raised in a strict household," Clio defended. "So I'm not really surprised by what she said."

"It doesn't matter," Vivian said. "She shouldn't say such things. Love isn't disgusting no matter where it comes from."

"I agree with you," Desmond chimed in. "But some households don't believe that. They're still stuck in their old ways."

"Well that isn't right!" Vivian shouted. "People shout accept there there can be many types of love than they're willing to see."

"You seem to be taking this very personally," Jun stated. Vivian blushed and looked away.

"We-well I just don't like it when someone says something so rude and hurtful like that." Hugo chuckled and place a hand on her shoulder.

"I get it, Viv," he said. "You can help how you feel and that's admirable. But you can't change what others feel as well."

"I wish I could," Vivian said quietly with her arms crossed. Sofia giggled as she walked over and wrapped her arms around her best friend.

"You really are a great person, Vivian," she said softly. "You know that?" Vivian's blush deepened as she became visibly calm.

"W-w-well... I," she stuttered, causing everyone to laugh. Vivian was embarrassed at first, bust soon joined in the laughter. Soon everyone was in a good mood, all except Amber, who was only staring at the floor in thought. She had just witnessed the whole class divided on the subject of gay love. She wasn't sure if this was good or bad. Maya seemed to notice Amber's silence and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Amber?" she asked. Amber shook her heard and looked over at Maya.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"You okay?" Maya asked. "You've been quiet for most of class." Amber then noticed all eyes on her and felt uncomfortable for a moment. She then smiled confidently at everyone.

"Of course," she said. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Well what's your opinion on the matter?" Hugo asked, curious to know what the most popular girl in school thought of the subject. Amber was now feeling more uncomfortable than before, she had no idea what to think, mainly because she had no idea what her feelings were. Her mind was in a complete blank. Sofia, sensing Amber's distress, decided to come to her aid. She walked over and took hold of Amber's arm.

"I'm sure Amber has her opinion on the matter," Sofia said with a smile. "Let's not pressure her on it though. It's not right to force our opinions on others." She then looked up towards Amber. Amber was more than relieved to have Sofia at her side to help her. Sofia always knew what to do when she came under pressure. She smiled down at Sofia and placed a hand on her's.

"No Sofia, it's fine," she said as she looked to her friends. "I personally don't know my opinion on the matter. But I will say that I have no I'll will on the subject. If someone can find love with someone else than my the gods bless them with a lifetime of happiness." Sofia smiled up at Amber even more. She knew that Amber was mainly talking about her feelings towards Sofia. And Sofia knew that she was being honest. She rested her head on Amber's shoulder once more and tightened her hold on Amber's arm. Amber looked down at Sofia with a smile before returning the embrace. After a moment, Amber looked up towards their friends.

"Now let's get going before we're all late to class," she said.

"Yeah!" Desmond said, suddenly realizing what time it was. "I've been doing so well on my perfect attendance this year!" The hallway was filled with laughter once more ans everyone made their way towards their next classes, all the while Sofia still embraced Amber's arm, but now their hands were entwined as well. And while everyone else was up ahead and not looking, Sofia quickly reached up and placed a small kiss on Amber's cheek before quickly pulling away. Amber looked back at Sofia, who now had a look of innocence. Amber smirked before looking around to make sure no one was looking. She then placed a kiss of her own on Sofia's cheek. Sofia was caught off guard by her action and looked up at Amber, who had an innocent look of her own. Sofia smirked as well before she rested her head on Amber's shoulder for the third time that hour as they made their way down the hall.

* * *

**A/N: Here you guys go! I'm surprised I finished this all in one day. Now I wanted to include the legend of Atlantis but I also decided to change things up for this world. Hope you guys enjoyed it. And again, I'm so sorry about the long wait. But now I have a favor to ask of all of you. There is a scene in one of the episodes from Sofia the first the features a globe of Sofia's world. The scene is from the song "When It Comes To Making Friends." But my favor is for someone to draw that map for me so I can properly form the countries of this story. And if anyone would like to draw the map for me, then I will dedicate an entire chapter to them. And maybe even do more than that. Please tell me your thought and I look forward to hearing from all of you.**


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